Silver Roses
by Marvel91
Summary: EDITS. Fox X-Men Universe. Crystal has been raised by X Facility to be the ultimate weapon. Having been rescued by the father who didn’t know she existed, she finds herself drawn to Peter Maximoff aka Quicksilver. Crystal had to deal with family and relationships, while under the fear that Stryker will come for her.
1. 1

The darkness ended. The sting of the harsh fluorescent lights burnt her eyes. Pulling herself off the cold concrete floor, lending against the glass walls that made her cell, Crystal prepared herself for the guards to drag her into one of the steel battle rooms on the floor above her.

'Get up, girl. Colonel Stryker will be viewing you today. He expects to be impressed.' The guard punctuated his sentence with a swift kick to the gut, as he grabbed her dirty blonde hair to force her to her feet. Amongst the rambled thoughts cascading in her head, Crystal wondered why Stryker wanted to view this particular fight. He seemed to have taken a step back from the facility. Crystal had heard guards mention he was in Washington, trying to convince the senate that mutants were evil. What could possibly have brought him back?

Before she knew it, she was facing a skinny boy, he couldn't be older than fifteen, not that age mattered here. She didn't know what he could do but didn't matter. She never lost. As the poor boy charged at her, she forced the air forward, creating a protective wall. As he rammed into it, he flew backwards breaking the wall behind him. Strength was simple to beat. He repeatedly charged at her, but never managed to land a blow. He was relentless as failure resulted in punishment worth than death. Crystal began to pity the kid, She could destroy him in minutes. She could. But she didn't have the heart to kill this kid. She looked up at Stryker, staring down from the control room. 'Enough, he's done'. Suddenly, the door buzzed open. Guards dragged off his broken body.

Crystal wished she was being dragged away. He would be placed in his holding cell while she would have to face Colonel Stryker's wrath. She'd disobeyed his orders. His sinister voice echoed through the speaker 'Crystal, I'll see you in my office'.

God only knew what sick punishment he would plan.

Stryker's office was cold. Crystal stood by Stryker's large, dark mahogany desk. His walls were lined with books, files and photos of people (most likely mutants) pinned to maps. The room was chaotic and the complete opposite to the clear container that housed Crystal.

He sat in his throne-like chair, reading her file, ignoring her for over three minutes. She watched each second tick past. It was a power play. He wanted her to know who was in charge. Ironically, she held all the power. Every element was under her control. But while she controlled the elements, he controlled her. It was his control over her that stopped her lighting the whole room ablaze and storming out the facility. That, and the fact she had nowhere to go.

'You defied your commanders today Crystal'. He spoke slowly, annunciating every syllable. 'However, you are right. You're my greatest line of defence in the fight against mutant rights'. The hatred in his eyes was immense. He continued after he composed himself. 'You will now be working as my assistant'.

'Assistant?' She has heard enough, what he was proposing was ridiculous. He hated her and her kind. The idea of having to be close to him made her want to be sick.

'That's how it will be presented to members of the press and government. You have the _skills _I need to persuade them all to see things my way'.

'And that's my purpose? You want me to kill anyone who disagrees with you? It hardly seems diplomatic'.

'I don't want your elemental manipulation, although I'm sure it will have its advantages at times. It's the hypnotic tone of your voice. It's taken a long time to get the right abilities to show prominence in you. Today, I finally got the result I've wanted for so long. All that gene-slicing and time was not wasted on you'.

He spoke so quickly and so fluently that all she could do was watch his lips move. The anger rose as she comprehended what he had said. The experiments she'd been subject to her whole life. All the hours spent fighting, the mutants she'd hurt, just to force a dormant mutation out of her. She wanted to boil him alive. She'd never felt so abused as she did right now.

'Why do you think I'd agree to this? I'd rather stay in my container'.

Stryker leapt to his feet. 'You don't have a choice, Crystal. You know why you'll do it. You have a weakness, and you know I'll exploit it. You can't stay awake forever'.

That was true if she refused Stryker he would have Mirage punish her. Her never-ending nightmares would begin to haunt her during the day as well as the night. Eventually, the lack of sleep would cause her to relent and agree to Stryker's demands. At least if she decided now, she could maintain her dignity.


	2. 2

Traitor. When Stryker gets bored with her and has her killed, the word 'traitor' will be etched onto her tombstone. Hell, who was she kidding. She wasn't getting a memorial, the guard would begrudge digging a hole in the first place.

Stryker had polished her up. She'd had women buzzing around her for nearly a whole day, making sure she looked the part. He wanted to make sure Crystal would impress senators, politicians and military personnel. She felt guilty knowing there were thirty mutants still in the facility while she had been polished, manicured and styled. A wardrobe had been rolled in full of business suits and evening dresses. Unfortunately, this came with a price. She had profiles of officials to memorise, laws to understand. It was like learning a new language to her. Above all this, she still had to develop the hypnotic quality of her voice. By the end of the month, Crystal had managed to convince her guards to bring her novels and other luxuries that would usually be off-limits to her. Crystal had always loved stories but had access to very few. Sometimes, when she was little, one of the guards would tell her fairytales to help her drown out the sounds of screaming and crying from the facility. When he'd been caught, he told his superiors it was to stop her sadness from causing an earthquake. Still, he'd been moved to a different area with immediate effect.

Crystal had been moved to a small room, above the basement where the other mutants were held. She sat on her new, soft blue armchair in the corner. She was absorbed in Elizabeth's rejection of Darcy. She was so enthralled that she didn't notice the military personnel march into the room with a briefcase in hand. She missed as he placed the case and a dress bag on the table. Why would anyone refuse a man who loved you despite all the reasons not to? She was about to find out how Darcy would respond when Stryker threw the book out of her hand. She caught the air under in and sat it down by the arm of her chair, but did not dare begin rereading it.

'If you're going to read, read something useful to me instead of filling your head with nonsense and romance'. He spoke so coldly that it made Crystal wonder is anyone had ever loved him. How could they? The man was a monster!

She finally caught sight of the bag. 'Is it time for a test run?' The sarcasm in her voice blindly evident.

'Sir'. She rolled her eyes at him while he wasn't looking. 'Don't forget your place, Crystal. You may feel you now have certain entitlements, but you are still mine and you will follow protocol at all times or you'll end up back in the basement'.

There were no words for that. Crystal threw her head onto the back of the chair and released a sad sigh. 'Yes sir' she whispered so softly she was surprised he had even heard her.

'That's better' he smirked. She was confident that the control he has over her was giving him a God complex. He opened the case and handed her a brief for an evening event. There would be fine food, dancing and (due to Stryker) underhand politics. She was ordered to memorise it, and be prepared to 'persuade' key officials to be pro-mutant registration. It saddened her to know there were mutants out there free to do whatever they wanted. Deep down, she knew she was envious of their freedom.


	3. 3

Awkwardly stood in Stryker's shadow, Crystal drank in her surroundings. It was a world she could never imagine stuck in her cell. She was overwhelmed. The wealth spread around the room. She could smell it. She could see it on the portly, blotchy faces of the whisky drinkers walking past, staring intently at her. It filled her with discomfort.

She had been warned to be courteous and polite. The usual punishment would apply for any slip-ups in demeanour. She had even been given strict instruction not to start any conversations. Nodding and smiling were her two options unless told to follow the script Stryker had given her. This was quite frankly a relief because she couldn't imagine a worse form of torture than discussing pleasantries with these kinds of people.

She subtly shifted herself to the side of the room. She felt safe here. The air wasn't as dense, and she was able to create a gentle breeze across her face to cool herself down. If Stryker saw her using her powers in public, he would undoubtedly try and beat her on the spot. She thought no one had seen but, she quickly realised she was mistaken. From the corner of her eyes, Crystal noticed two men staring at her. She instantly recognised they were not the type who felt at home here either. The first was an older gentleman, in the standard suit and bow tie. He was seated in a wheelchair but seemed to have a presence that could control the whole room if he wanted to. He was making direct eye contact with her. Crystal had a strange sensation that he was learning everything there was to know about her from that one look.

As intense as he was, his companion seemed equally as frantic. He had swiftly broken her eye contact with the former with his graceful movements. He was much younger than the gentlemen he was speaking to. Maybe a similar age to herself. He was the most under-dressed person in the room. He stood in a slim, light grey suit, with a matching tie. Interestingly, his hair was a similar shade despite his young age. As Crystal studied him, she realised it was closer to silver than grey. She noted the bored look on his face, she could see he wanted the night to be over, and he didn't care if everyone knew it. He leaned in to speak to his companion. He nodded and began to walk towards her. He was as graceful and swift walking as he was standing still. His eyes suddenly bored into hers. Memorised by his dark brown eyes, she didn't realise he was somehow already by her side, imposing on the breeze she had created.

'Hey'.

Hey? He was going with 'hey'. It wasn't the greeting she had expected, and it threw her off guard. She was now confident that he belonged here as much as she did. She wasn't sure how to respond, so just had to repeat the phrases she had been coached. 'Good evening'.

'Peter'

'Crystal'

'The professor would like to speak to you'. He turned and walked away. Was she that dull that he couldn't walk with her or hold a conversation? Granted she probably was having spent her whole life in captivity, but he didn't know that. He seemed to be the only exciting person in the room, and he couldn't bear to look at her.

Intrigued, she followed him. Her lace, cream dress floating behind her.

The professor gave her a greeting that was more in line with how she had heard the senators speak to each other. 'Good evening, Crystal, I do hope Peter was playing nicely'.

She knew it was rude, but she couldn't resist. 'You may have to send him to a good finishing school if you want to keep bringing him out in public'. The professor laughed more than what she expected, while Peter just scoffed.

'Well allow me to introduce myself, professor Charles...'

He didn't get to finish his sentence, as Stryker came up from behind her and grabbed her arm forcefully. 'Professor, this is an invitation-only event. I imagine you have forced your way through again'.

'Actually Colonel, I was invited. Being an expert in a key political topic gets you invited to many exclusive events. By the way, Colonel, I believe you are causing the lady some discomfort'. He was right. She could feel her skin bruising under the pressure of his hand.

'What I do with my possessions is none of your concern'. Stryker tightened his grip to the point that Crystal winced and a small yelp escaped her lips. As the sound left her lips, she felt that Stryker's hand had been removed from her arm. He seemed infuriated. 'Touch me again, and I'll have you arrested faster than you can...'

'I highly doubt that' smirked Peter, 'but if you put your hands on her again, you'll get another showing of what I can do'.

He seemed so confident. Crystal caught his eyes and saw him give her a one-sided smile. He alluded confidence.

'We're done here. Crystal, you came here to do a job now do it'. He lifted his arm to drag her away but seemed to compose himself after a quick staredown with an angered Peter and walked away. Crystal muttered a thank you and followed.

Throughout the rest of the night, Stryker paraded her in front of groups of senators. She delivered the routine that Stryker had made her memorise and rehearse. The whole time she could feel the other two mutants watching her.

'But Colonel, think back to Cario. Without mutants, we would all be dead. We can not agree to a registration act that could harm the greater good'.

'Crystal, do you have anything to say on the matter'. Crystal didn't answer. 'Did you hear that Crystal?' Her attention has been snapped back to Stryker, standing in front of her.

'I am so sorry, Sir. What was the question?' Now she knew she was in trouble. She was meant to deliver a perfectly timed speech; instead, she'd been distracted by the dark brown eyes staring at her from across the room.

'Stop boring the girl with politics Stryker. A pretty, young girl like that doesn't want to talk about mutant registration. Young lady, please join me in a dance. The elderly gentleman took her arm gently and lead her to the floor. The band began to play a new song, the singer began to coo 'somewhere'. As she went to place herself in the correct hold, she was surprised to see the senator had been replaced by the silver-haired mutant. How had he got to her so quickly? She had just seen him on the other side of the room.

'Stryker is going to kill you'.

'Wouldn't be the first time he's tried. Anyway, I'm just a distraction. The professor still wants to speak to you'. He took her hand as he said this, while his right hand draped around her waist.

She nearly asked how she could to speak to the professor when she heard a voice clearly in her head.

'_Hello again Crystal, I'm professor Charles Xavier. No, don't turn round. You must try not to look at me, we don't want anyone catching on_'.

She continued to dance and did as the professor asked. She wasn't ashamed to say she was enjoying being held by someone who wasn't using her or taking advantage. The young man gave her a one-sided smile, which made her heart jump into her throat.

_'Sorry to cut you off of that lovely thought but we don't have a lot of time. I want to know why Stryker calls you the Xavier project_'.

_'I don't know. He keeps my file in his case, he likes to show it off to like-minded people_'.

'_As much as I don't doubt you. I don't want to solely trust Stryker's paperwork and would like to do my own tests_'.

_'I've been a lab rat before. I don't want to go through that again_'. As she thought this, Peter had span her across the floor and pulled her close to his body. She took a sharp intake of breath, which made him smile again. Did he know the effect he was having on her?

_'Of course, I wouldn't be asking that. I'd invite you to my school for a week and then_ _it is your choice. You can leave or if you wish you may stay'._

_'Stryker won't just let me leave'. _Crystal would love to leave the control of Stryker and leave with these two enigmas, but she knew she had to be realistic. She could never go, she'd be trapped forever.

_'Don't worry. Your departure can be arranged_'.

The song was coming to an end and Crystal needed to give an answer. Peter has spun her again, and she had lost concentration, making her begin to trip. As she stumbled, she felt his body crushing against hers before anyone could even notice she had lost her balance. Crystal met his eyes and felt an intense heat run through her body. She looked down and saw how close their lips were. It panicked her that she had lost control, but her primary source of worry was how secure she felt in this stranger's arms.

'Yes,' she whispered 'I'll go with you'.

'Perfect, now that's settled we'll get going.'

Crystal's arms were still clinging around his neck from her fall. His hands had slid down to the curves of her hips. Her lace dress hugged her figure, and his hands enjoyed being wrapped around her supple body. She hadn't pulled away, and he didn't want her to. When she dropped her eyes to avoid his gaze, he took the opportunity to look around the room. The professor had frozen everyone, which meant he had gotten the result he wanted.

The blonde beauty seemed to realise the room was in complete silence and slowly pulled away to see the professor had approached them. He reluctantly released her from his hold and awaited further instruction.

'If you could do this, why bother with the dance in the first place?' Clearly, Crystal was confused by the professor's methods. But hey, so was he, though he didn't regret their close proximity for the last three minutes. Although, Peter's plan would have been much quicker, and he'd be back at the mansion listening to his music at this point.

The professor kept his composure, despite the panic in Crystal's eyes. 'I find it is less intimidating when one feels they have a choice or sense of control in the situation. Now, we shall continue this conversation at the mansion, but it is time for you to be leaving'. He turned his attention to Peter now, 'take her to the car, I'll follow shortly'.

'Stryker isn't just going to let me walk out of here'. Crystal felt she was pointing out the obvious, but the two men did not seem to be interested in that glaring problem.

'In a few minutes he won't even know who you are and you'll have what you've always wanted. Complete freedom.' The professor was offering the impossible promise. Peter doubted she'd even be free. For some reason, Stryker had her in his sights, and he was a difficult opponent to shake off. Surely the only way Crystal could be free of Stryker was to stay in the mansion or face a life on the run.

'Can I get my file?'

The professor nodded. Crystal didn't move as she forced the air against the briefcase, creating a small breeze to carry the file to her. It was huge. Even at top speed, it would take him a while to get through all that. Not that he would be reading it, but Hank would have a field day sieving through it. Surely there would be something interesting to pique the genius' interest.

'Telekinetic then' Peter muttered.

'Not quite'. The little smirk Crystal gave made him want to delve into her mutation, but he knew now wasn't the time. Instead, he took a step forward and put his hand around her slender neck. He couldn't help but notice how soft and delicate her skin was. He could tell she was about to ask what he was doing. But, before she could open her mouth, he whisked her away to the car and placed her in the backseat. Once she was buckled in, he slowed down to join her in 'real-time'.

'It'll pass, happens to everyone'. Peter caught her expression in the rear-view mirror.

'Should I feel like I've been hit by a car?'

He gave her a half-laugh. Crystal sat with her head in her hands, dizzy from the swift movement. It was uncomfortable to watch her suffer. She gave off a sense of vulnerability that gave Peter the urge to protect her. Within half a second, he was sat on the backseat with her, gently rubbing small circles on her back. He didn't know if it would help, but the roses in her cheek began to bloom again, and she managed to lift her head to meet his gaze. She was breath-taking, even in her half-shocked state.

Peter was about to say something he would regret when he saw the professor reach the main doors. 'The professor is on his way'. Peter popped out the door opened the trunk, ready to place the wheelchair in. After the professor was seated, he put the chair away and was back in the driver's seat, ready to go.

'Don't worry, we'll be home in no time'.

'Take it slow Peter' the professor warned.

Peter glanced over his shoulder and winked at Crystal. In return, she flashed him a brilliant, white smile. Stunning even. He was going to have to make sure he didn't get distracted by her presence.


	4. 4

Crystal had felt herself drift off to sleep on the journey, but she had woken in time to see the mansion she would be residing in for the next week. She had not been able to rest peacefully, but that was nothing new to her. She never managed to get a full night's sleep.

Even in the dark, she could see it was a thing of beauty. As they came down the neat drive lined with trimmed confers either side, she couldn't help but think that it looked like a location straight out of the romance novels she'd been forbidden to read.

As she was absorbing the sheer majesty of the building, the professor spoke to her softly. 'I'm aware you are tired, but there is someone I would like you to meet before you're shown to your room. She will hopefully be able to answer a lot of your questions.'

Peter took the car into the garage and got the professor's chair. As he did this, Crystal slowly composed herself and edged her way out of the vehicle. She fell into step with Peter as they walked behind the professor. He must have sensed her nervousness; he caught her hand with his and mouthed 'don't worry'. His relaxed attitude was infectious. Still, then she imagined it must be easy to be relaxed about whatever might happen when you can move faster than what everyone else can think.

She was taken into what she assumed was the professor's office. It was hidden by a large oak door that screamed grandeur. Once the door opened, she saw a dark-haired teenager sat on a red sofa. She was in her pyjamas, which made Crystal wonder if the professor had called her out of bed.

'Crystal, this is Tessa. Also known as Sage. Sage has a particular talent for understanding mutations and DNA. She'll be able to point us in the right direction.' As the professor gave the introductions, Tessa turned to face the trio. She stood in a state of shock. The professor dropped his smile and seemed to age in an instance.

'Tessa, are you absolutely sure?'

She nodded, 'Professor, I don't get it wrong.'

'Thank you. I'll take it from here Tessa. You may go back to bed'.

Tessa walked past the three of them to reach the door. Crystal was sure she looked at her with a sense of fear and uncertainty. It filled her with dread, she couldn't imagine what could possibly cause the girl such a strong reaction.

'Well Crystal, Tessa has seen some interesting information in your DNA. I'm not sure how to word this. You may want to sit down. Peter, thank you for your work this evening. You won't be needed again tonight.'

Crystal took the seat that Tessa had vacated, while Peter turned on his heels. 'Night professor. Crystal, cya in the morning.' He caught the desperation in her eyes. He wanted to ask the professor to let him stay, but the hard-line on his face suggested Peter had to leave the room immediately.

The professor circled himself so that he was facing Crystal. He spoke softly and sincerely to her. 'This is difficult...I read your file while you slept. You were created in the X-facility as part of an experiment. Tessa saw in your DNA that you have been subject to several experiments during your life to enhance and encourage new mutations. Unfortunately, that is the least complicated part of your history. Your DNA isn't entirely human or even mutant for that matter. Your mother is not a mutant. If Stryker's file is to be believed, she is part of an alien race called the Inhumans. She was found and captured by the X-facility while on a mission. She was tortured and died shortly after you were born.' He paused. Crystal knew he could tell she was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information.

She couldn't believe him. What he was saying was absurd. Her mother wasn't an alien. Aliens didn't exist. And even if they did, why would one come to earth on a mission and let themselves get captured? She needed to make sure she'd heard him right. 'You're saying my mother is an alien?' He nodded. 'What about my father?'

'Well, that's where the difficult part comes into play'. The professor looked nervous now. What could be more complicated than an alien mother? 'It seems that the Colonel in charge at the time wanted to use your mother to create super soldiers. They choose mutants that were powerful in different abilities, stealing DNA samples from them unwillingly and unknowingly and combined them with your mother's DNA. You were the only successful child to be created in the lab. Your parents' DNA was the only compatible pairing.'

Crystal gasped as she realised what he was saying. 'You said I was called the Xavier project'.

The professor nodded at her again. 'I did. Originally, I thought it was because Stryker had raised you to kill me. It's nice to know that's not the case, is it not?'

Her brain was about to explode under the weight of information.

'It's overwhelming, I agree.' He paused again. This time it seemed he was allowing himself time to compose as opposed to her. 'Please know that you are welcome to stay here as long as you need to. We can offer you support and guidance in developing your mutations. There is more to you, Crystal. You have the potential to be one of the most powerful mutants on the planet. Not many have power as strong as yours. I hope you can learn to control them because if you were to lose control if you acted out of anger and rage, you could do all sorts of damage.'

She could tell his monologue was over. She wanted to break the ice. The heavy conversation was too much for her. 'What do you want me to call you?' It was a ridiculous question, but it was the only one she could think of.

'Professor will be fine. However, we do need to give you a room in line with your namesake. At least while you settle in. My mother's old room is available. I'm sure you'll be comfortable there. It's out of the way from the hustle and bustle of the main school. I'm sure you will appreciate the silence after the lack of privacy you are used to.' He mentally gave her visual directions to the room.

'Thank you, professor, for everything you've done this evening. I do appreciate it.'

'You're welcome. I only wish I could do more.' There was a hint of remorse on his voice.

'Professor, you didn't know. It's not your fault.'

He smiled at her and nodded. It was forced and left her feeling incredibly uncomfortable. 'Thank you, Crystal. Please close the door behind you.' With that, she left the room.

Peter knew he should have gone straight to his room, but he was too intrigued by the newest resident of the mansion and decided eavesdropping would be a better use of his time. He hadn't expected to hear what he'd heard. The idea that the professor was a father. Holy shit!

Crystal walked out of the room with a tear glistening on her soft skin.

'You okay?' He didn't know how to comfort her. It wasn't one of his skills, but he didn't like that she was upset.

'I'm just tired, I want to lay down and try to sleep'.

Try and sleep? Odd choice of words. Maybe she was a night owl. If she was, she was bound to run into Kurt. Had she met blue mutants before? He didn't want her waking everyone up in terror. Better safe than sorry. 'I'll walk you to your room. It's on the floor above the students'.

They walked in silence. Peter watched her hand run along the banister. She had a quiet demeanour about her that, even while devastated, gave an air of elegance. He usually struggled with this slow pace but watching her graceful movements were oddly soothing. As they reached her room, he decided to act gentlemanly and opened the door for her. She slid past him, her shoulder accidentally brushed against her arms. Her touch felt like an electric shock running throughout his body. His mouth went instantly dry. His eyes followed her as she surveyed the room she had entered. He couldn't help but lower his eyes to her hips. The cream, lace gown she wore hugged her body and accentuated her curves. He wasn't one for ogling, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable, but, he couldn't deny her body was gorgeous.

'Is there anything you need?' He had to break the silence.

'Something to sleep in would be great.' She was still taking in the room. It was a lot larger than rooms usually given to students and staff. The professor had it ready for any guest that may stay over. Peter has always thought that the professor hoped his father would occupy it and join him in running the school.

Peter whizzed off to his room, grabbed a t-shirt and was back before she had turned to face him. He handed it to her, their fingers brushing together.

'Who's Rush?' She asked, examining the shirt.

'What! We're going to have to give you a musical education while you're here.'

'Sorry, listening to music wasn't really allowed. I've heard some songs I like since I started leaving the facility.' Her eyes dropped to the floor briefly. 'Could you turn around?'

He heard her heavy dress fall to the ground and three seconds afterwards, she gave a slight cough letting him know it was safe to turn back around. God. She was sat in his t-shirt with her long, luscious legs curled under her. He had never seen anything more tantalising in his life. She undid her hair from its French roll and let her curls drape across her shoulders.

He needed to leave and create some space between them. Crystal was too tempting to stay any longer. She was vulnerable, and it had been a long night. Staying in the room with her was unlikely to end well.

'I'll leave you to sleep then.' He turned to leave, closing the door behind him when her delicate voice stopped him.

'Peter', she looked hesitant, 'would you sit with me? I have a slight issue with sleeping. I just...' her voice fell to an inaudible whisper.

'You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I'll sit with you until you fall asleep.'

He edged himself onto the bed, kicking off his shoes. Crystal laid down at his side and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, he heard her breath had softened, and he realised she was asleep. He didn't want to move. Now he had sat down, he realised he was exhausted from the day's events and hadn't eaten in four hours. He placed his arm around her waist and shuffled into a more comfortable position. The last thing he recalled was the sensual smell of honey radiating from her hair.


	5. 5

Crystal was awoken by the sudden absence of warmth and a cold breeze in its place. Peter must have just left.

She turned to look at the empty space beside her and saw the light bursting through the window. She couldn't remember ever sleeping through the night. She doubted that it was the bed that had helped her settle as much as it was the company. She headed towards the tall window at the end of the room, when there was a delicate knock on her door.

'Come in' she called without turning. She assumed it was the professor or Peter coming back, which made her realise that she didn't know how many mutants lived here.

Sage and an older teenage girl (with long red hair) walked into the room. 'The professor wanted to let you know breakfast is at 7. We knew you didn't have any clothes with you, so we thought we'd bring you a couple of things to get you through the day.' Sage sweetly handed over a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and a new toothbrush.

'Thanks,' Crystal smiled. She wasn't used to people being sweet to her. She quickly wondered if Peter had left her in such a rush to get down to breakfast.

The other girl answered her mental question. 'It's against regulations for us to share bedrooms, but you're right. He's downstairs eating already.' The girl quickly dropped eye contact, almost ashamed of prying on Crystal's thoughts.

'How many mind-readers are in this house? It's a little unnerving.'

'Just two, and a few empaths. I'm Jean, by the way. We'll give you a few minutes to get yourself sorted and then take you down for breakfast.'

With that, the girls left. Crystal quickly put on the denim shorts and the black vest top, brushed her teeth and left the room. Jean must have sensed that Crystal was ready as she appeared at the top of the stairs.

'Hungry?' She asked. Jean seemed really lovely, and Crystal imagined that they could be good friends if she decided to stay. There was something about her manner that Crystal understood all too well. Most people didn't understand what it was like to be afraid of yourself, but she had a feeling Jean did.

They followed the scent of a variety of food coming from the kitchen. As Crystal walked through the door, she saw Peter leaning on the counter talking to some students. She wasn't looking for him intentionally, but her eyes somehow naturally met with him. It led her to question how they could be so intrinsically linked to each other in such a small amount of time. He seemed to be mid-conversation and not wanting to disturb him, she slid onto a stool next to Sage. She could hear a few whispers about her from around the room but chose to ignore them, concentrating on Sage explaining the rules of the mansion to her.

Peter, on the other hand, was struggling to concentrate on anything but Crystal. She'd walked into the kitchen in those denim shorts showing off her long legs and paired it with a flash of her gorgeous smile, and it threw him off guard. He was in trouble. When he had woken up this morning, he'd felt true contentment. The beautiful woman next to him had wrapped her legs around his, his arm was around her waist. His face had nuzzled into her blonde hair, the smell of honey washing over him. He hadn't wanted to leave her but felt if he became closer to her, he'd be in danger of falling for her.

She went to sit with Sage, and he knew his eyes followed her (again). Jean walked towards him and Scott. When she reached them, Scott placed his arms around her and Peter felt a twang of jealously, still looking longingly at Crystal.

'Peter, you're playing with fire. If she is the professor's daughter, you don't want to get involved in something so complicated.' Jean's warning had good intentions, but Peter had always had a side that enjoyed 'complicated'. Sure, the professor might have good reasons for Crystal not to date him, but there was something about her. An unknown force was pushing him towards her, and he didn't know if he'd be able to ignore it.

Soon, the younger mutants began to filter out, leaving Peter, Jean, Scott, Sage and Crystal lingering. This was his moment to start a conversation. He whizzed over and sat beside her. He saw how it startled her and gave a little half-smile to show his amusement.

'What happens now?' If he wasn't mistaken, there was a hint of nervousness in her voice.

'Jean and Scott are heading down to the danger room to train. I'm going outside to work with some younger students. You and Sage are going to meet with the professor to discuss your possible training routines.' This wasn't what he wanted to talk about, and he had to go get ready for his students. He'd given them a head start (sort of), but he'd have to leave the kitchen soon to get there before them. 'Crystal, about leaving you this morning.'

'It's fine. I know it's against the rules. You don't need to explain.' She smiled despite the tone in her voice, suggesting that she wasn't ok. Peter didn't know what to say. Was she dismissing him?

'Crystal, it's time for us to go.' Sage wasn't aware that she had interrupted a moment between the two of them as she grabbed Crystal's arm pulling her away.

He gave her a quick nod and told her he would catch her later, then reluctantly headed outside to the basketball court.


	6. 6

'Ah, Crystal, please make yourself comfortable.' The professor had a constant air of courtesy about him. He seemed out of place in time. He didn't belong in 1989. Like the house, he would be better suited to Victorian England in Crystal's opinion, he'd fit right in with the characters from her book. 'I've invited Sage back, as she will be able to give us both a clearer understanding of your mutations. Now everyone has had a good nights sleep we can discuss next steps.' The professor directed his focus to Sage, 'What do you see?'

'Your DNA is fascinating. It's been chopped and changed to try and include more mutations. Your most notable skill is your elemental manipulation. Air, earth, fire and water are all at your control. If you were to develop these skills, you'd be able to control anything that is fundamentally one of these elements. You'd also be able to use your air manipulation to create flight.' Sage's face was full of concentration as she continued, 'There does seem to be some untapped potential in your earth powers that seem to be lying dormant. If untapped, you should be able to develop botanpathy. That seems to be a manufactured mutation due to the experiments.'

Crystal thought she was done, but it seemed she was only pausing to take a breath. 'Your other key mutation is your voice. The tonality and rhythm you create when you speak should allow you to manipulate the thoughts and emotions of others. It wouldn't be anywhere near as strong as the professor's or Jean's, but it should allow you a small level of control for short periods. Because it works based on tonality and rhythm, it would be stronger if you sang'.

'Well, that sounds fun. Basically, you're telling me my life is going to be a musical.' Crystal couldn't believe what she heard. All that testing, the experiments. Stryker had always told her she would be his most significant defence against attack, now she had an idea why.

'Thank you, Sage, you've done well. Please run along to class now and give Hank my apologises for keeping you.' Once Sage had left, the professor and Crystal stared at each other for a few moments.

'You don't know how to handle me, do you?'

'No, I'm afraid not. Students, I can deal with. I'm well practised at that. A daughter. Well, I just assumed that I would never have children. I wasn't expecting to gain a 25-year-old child overnight.'

'25?' This was the first time Crystal had ever been told her age.

'Yes, 25. Crystal, I would very much like to build a relationship with you. I hope that, over time, you would be able to consider me your true father in every sense of the word.' He spoke with such compassion and conviction that she knew he meant it.

She thought about her reply before speaking, she wanted to be honest with him, the way he had with her. 'It's funny. When I was little, I use to dream that I'd get rescued by my family and live with them. I use to cry out every night for someone to come and save me. As I got older, I gave up dreaming. I knew that no matter how hard I wished or how long I cried out, no one was coming. Now that I'm here, it just seems so unreal'.

'Crystal, would you mind if I have a look into your past and see what you had to endure?'

She nodded. She couldn't see the harm in the professor looking around. He gestured to the sofa and waited patiently for her to sit. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. She felt her father's presence. It was like he was flipping through a picture book, and she was glimpsing over his shoulder. There were images of her being tortured, of Mirage creating living nightmares if she disobeyed Styker or the guards. Being hauled into the labs, the endless testing and training. She tried to hide the times she hurt the other mutants in the facility, but he did see glimpses of her battles. At some point, he had grabbed her hand out of compassion. A tear escaped from his eye, and he wiped it away. 'I'm so sorry.'

A few more moments past before Crystal spoke. 'What do we do now?'

'To start with, why don't I give you a tour of the mansion?'

As they toured, Crystal was surprised that every student greeted them both by name. 'I've not been here a day yet. How do they all know my name?'

'Save is a very unique mutant, and is very useful when new mutants arrive unsure of their powers. However, she is prone to gossip. It's the downside of living in a school full of teenagers. Nothing is secret.'

Her father took her on a tour of the whole mansion, which took most of the morning. She was particularly intrigued by the lower levels and the training rooms, although she did wonder if the professor would let her be involved in this side of his operations.

The overall feeling she got from the mansion was that everyone was supportive of each other. It was a real family. Having spent her life stuck in a cell, she wanted that feeling. Nothing would be denied to her.

After her tour, the professor had to leave her to teach, she walked with him to his classroom. 'Before you leave Crystal, I have something for you.' He handed her a copy of Pride and Prejudice. 'I saw you started reading it but were unable to finish. I do hope it lives up to your expectations.'

She smiled and thanked him repeatedly. It was a small gift, a token really. But it meant the world to her. The sun was glorious, so she decided to spend her afternoon reading on the bench, under the pergola she had seen earlier.

After an hour or so, she felt the small breeze on her cheek that announced Peter's arrival. 'So, what do you think?' He seemed playful this afternoon. It was a contrast to how serious he had been in the morning.

'The book? I love it' she smiled, but his eye roll was so noticeable she almost heard it. 'I can see why you all like it so much.'

'So are you planning on staying?' There was a little more urgency in his voice now.

The answer seemed so complicated to Crystal. Yes, her father was here. She could have a family. Plus, the school seemed incredible. But, even though she knew so little of the outside world, she knew she wanted to see it all. He was still awaiting an answer. She decided the best response was to shrug her shoulders and smile.

In their silent moment, she looked at his silver hair, goggles sat on top. He wore skinny jeans and a slightly over-sized t-shirt, with another band name she didn't recognise. She hadn't met many people in her life, but already she knew that she wouldn't meet anyone else like him. They seemed to be drawn to each other like magnets. Sat on the bench looking at each other, they seemed to be communicating without speaking. They probably sat like that for a few seconds, but it felt like hours. It was only broken when Peter (who had the inability of sitting still) shifted his weight, causing his hand to brush against hers. It broke their small trance. The sudden contact caused her to drop her gaze and made Peter clear his throat.

'The professor said you'd need a ride to the mall. I've done for the day if you still want to go.'

'When you say ride, you mean car, right? I don't think my stomach would cope with another run'.

He laughed and flashed her a set of keys.


	7. 7

'So what do I need?' Stood in the humongous mall, Crystal was overwhelmed. There was consent buzzing around her, making it hard to focus. How could anyone concentrate with all this noise?

Peter just smirked at her, clearly amused by her bewilderment. 'Everything. The professor told me to make sure you had everything you'd need to be happy, I guess that means clothes and shoes and stuff like that.'

After an hour of being fussed over by over-enthusiastic shop assistants, Crystal was exhausted. The only thing that had gotten her through this new form of torture was Peter playing tricks on the staff by moving items around, but he'd quickly got bored of that and disappeared.

'Where's the guy that was with you?' Crystal wasn't sure if this level of prying was usual for strangers. She was used to having every detail of her life laid out for all to read. 'He's cute. How do you know each other, are you together?'

Crystal didn't quite understand the question. They had walked in together, didn't that make it clear they had come together? Maybe there was something more to the question. She knew the answer to the first part of the question at least. 'Yes, we're together. He works for my dad.'

'Sleeping with the help. Romantic. Is he a mutant?' The shorter assistant blurted out without much thought.

'Brittany! You can't ask stuff like that, it's rude.' The slightly older assistant gave her colleague a swift elbow in the side.

'What! He has funny hair, and my dad reckons a load of them live in the big house outside of town. Remember all that stuff a couple of years ago. That old mansion got destroyed and rebuilt in a couple of days. Dad's a builder. He said no machines could have restored it that fast.'

'Yeah, but you don't just ask someone. Some like to keep it private. I heard some mutants could kill you with a wave of their hand. Could you imagine accidentally upsetting one and being done in for it? How could you be friends with someone like that?'

The ignorance of the girls was beginning to cause Crystal some distress, reminding her of her nightmares of being cold and alone. Her head continued to pound against her skull, and the ability to stand up straight was leaving her. As she grasped for something to hold onto, the ground began to shake under her feet. She could see the cracks forming in the concrete, it was all her vision could focus on. While the people around her screamed about earthquakes, Crystal tried to calm herself. The blustering around her was too much, and it only spiralled her panic attack.

At the other end of the mall, Peter had been browsing through the new CDs in the music store. He'd been lost in thought when his eyes snapped up. All the water, even the fountain in the middle of the floor, was boiling. The air felt dense, and he was sure he'd felt the earth begin to tremble. Shit! Before the first tremor of Crystal's earthquake had reached across the floor, he was by her side. He gripped her shoulders, 'Crystal, open your eyes. Look at me. Crystal, you need to calm down.' Tears were forming around her eyes, gently running down her cheeks. Enough was enough. He picked her up, grabbed the mountain of bags around her and whisked her into the carpark.

'Chrissy, open your eyes for me.' his fingers were unusually slow as he wiped her tears away. He pulled her hair from her face, leaning in to whisper tenderly into her ear. It took a lot to shock Peter, he saw most things coming, but Crystal flinging herself into his arms, clutching him desperately caught him off guard. He stood bewildered from a moment before stroking her soft hair, trying to offer her some level of comfort.

It took some time to calm Crystal down enough to drive her home, but she stayed silent the whole time. Her head leaning against the window, staring aimlessly at the blurs that pass them. Peter wasn't used to the feeling of helplessness that engulfed him. How could he make his beautiful creature feel better?

By the time they got home, it was dark, meaning most of the residence had gone to bed. Crystal was keen to go to her room as well, but in a bold move, Peter grabbed his companion's hand and pulled her onto the small sofa in the TV room. The fire was still lit, giving out a soft glow which welcomed them into the space.

Exhaustion hit Crystal as she sank into the sofa, her head lulling onto the armrest. Peter whipped round the kitchen, returning with a plethora of snacks to get them through the conversation they were about to have. 'Do you want to talk about it?'

'There was a mutant back at the facility. Her name was Mirage. She took great joy in hurting others. It was a part of her role as Stryker's minion. She can bring your greatest fears to life, they haunt you for every waking minute. Sometimes...they catch me off guard. When they do...I can't focus...it just happens.' Her heart was breaking in front of him.

'On the day my powers kicked in, I couldn't slow down for a day. Then, it took my mum three days to calm me down enough for her to understand what I was saying. So, don't worry about not having control. It doesn't come to everyone naturally.' He wanted to cheer her up, but a;; he could think of was to offer her food, 'It sounds stupid but do you want a twinkie?' After she ate, Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his hand dropped to her waist. Despite the challenge, he stayed perfectly still until she drifted off. Once sure she was soundly asleep, Peter shifted his weight to carry her back to bed. He knew he should go, but the idea pained him. He settled himself on top of Crystal's bed and watched her breathing softly until he joined her in slumber.


	8. 8

It had been three days since Crystal joined the mansion. Since then, she had spent a large portion of her time studying and bonding with the professor. He had been focused on furthering her academic knowledge and giving her history lessons on mutants. It would have been easier if Peter wasn't trying to insert himself into her lessons. He took great joy in telling her how he'd been apart of the Paris peace encores. Hank had sent him away on more than one occasion, muttering something about being 'barely there'. In between this, the professor had been fending off Crystal's constant questions about his life. She wasn't even sure about some of the things she was asking him, but they were things she was picking up from the other inhabitants of the mansion. She had always known that she lived in close proximity to a large number of mutants in the facility, but this was different. The people here cared about each other. It was more than a school, it was a family that cared for and protected each other.

This particular morning, as she looked out the window, she could see Peter throwing a ball back and forth to himself, making her smile. They hadn't spoken privately since their trip out, but Crystal was sure that there was some tension between them that needed to be addressed. When she had been studying, she caught how he looked at her. Staring as if she were some enigma for him to solve. She didn't know whether to be flattered or nervous, but she brimmed with excitement whenever their eyes met.

'Crystal, I don't think you've heard a word I've just said.'

She looked up at her father and apologised. She knew she was lucky to have these sessions and appreciated that he was trying desperately to build a relationship with her.

He saw what she was looking at and smiled. 'Maybe you have been cooped up too long. I want you to go outside and work on your earth manipulation, particularly your botanopathy. There is a packet of seeds on my desk. See if you can make one grow.' He spoke with confidence as if he trusted that she would be able to do it.

Excited to be stretching her legs, she grabbed the seeds and bolted downstairs. As soon as she was outside, the realisation that she didn't know what she was doing hit her. She had no clue how to make these seeds grow. Why would she? Stryker couldn't use it as a weapon. If this power was given to her by his gene slicing, it was bound to be an accident. She took the seeds to the pergola that she had sat under on her first day. It was barren, and she had gathered from the novels she'd been reading that it should be covered in flowers. She tipped the seeds around it and used her force to cover them with soil. She created water from the moisture in the air and looked at the piles of earth. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

She glanced up to the professor's window and was sure he was watching her with interest. She stepped away from the pergola and held her hand the same way she did to control the elements. She was frustrated. She didn't know what she was doing. She pushed her hands forward, hoping the force she created would work. When she opened her eyes, the pergola was on fire. She quickly stifled it out and tried again.

After repeating this event five times, she was infuriated and let out a scream of anger. That, already, familiar breeze crossed her cheek.

'You're thinking about it too much. You need to relax. It will happen if you find a way to calm yourself. Mind if I help?'

'Well I'm not going to be able to do it anyway, but you're welcome to try'. The defeat in Crystal's voice was undeniable.

She wasn't expecting what came next. Peter came and stood behind her, pulling her body to his to stand her sideways facing the charred pergola and seeds. His right arm was wrapped around her waist, and his left arm lifted hers. She instinctively placed her right arm over his.

'Relax. Focus on what you really want. Clear your head and picture the result.' He was whispering in her ear, while gently placing a loose tendril off her face.

'Easier said than done. I spent my life in captivity. I've found out that my mother isn't human and was tortured. When I'm finally rescued, it's by my father who didn't know I'd been created. It's too much. I can't deal with it all. And now I'm told that Stryker completed experiments on me to create a weapon. Instead of suppressing these powers, I'm being encouraged to make them stronger. I don't know what I'm doing' She could feel the panic in her voice and the tears building in her eyes. She just hoped she didn't create another natural disaster as the emotions bursting inside her swelled up.

'The professor knows that if you develop your mutation, you'll be stronger and be able to protect yourself if you choose to leave.'

'I don't want to have to protect myself. I want a normal life with normal problems. I want to explore the world, fall in love...'

She was cut off by Peter, pressing his lips against her urgently. It was over as quickly as it had begun, but it caught her completely off guard.

'Is your head clear now?' He was teasing her, playing with the loose tendril of her hair again. Curling it around his fingers. 'Relax your body and focus on what you want'.

She closed her eyes and visualised the rose wrapping itself around the beams. As much as she tried to concentrate, the image morphed and became intertwined with the image of Peter's hands running through her hair. She tried to focus on the flowers and Peter simultaneously when he whispered in her ear, 'open your eyes'.

She glanced at the mounts of earth and to her surprise saw one single rose wrapped around the lowest beam. She smiled when she noticed the uniqueness of her creation. She wasn't the only one surprised. 'How did you make it silver?'

'I focused on what I really wanted.' As the last words left her lips, she felt Peter twist her body to face him. It was a swift movement, but it was still so soft. His hands ran slowly through her hand like she'd pictured it, as he gently pulled her face towards his. This kiss was nothing like the first. There was no urgency now. Crystal felt her heart pounding in her chest as her lips parted slightly, allowing Peter to kiss her deeper. She melted into his arms and felt her very core ignite with the passion he was infusing within her. As he reluctantly pulled away, he stroked the side of her face. She looked into his eyes and knew she had no intention of leaving the mansion now.

Peter had lost count of how many times the professor had told him to think before he acted. Now he was stood under the professor's window kissing his daughter. He knew he wasn't going to be able to quickly talk his way out of this one. But, at the same time, he didn't care. Crystal was a vision, even in her anger. She has been submissive and moulded to his body when he imitated the kiss, but swiftly responded to him with a fiery passion. As he pulled away, their eyes met. They didn't need to say anything to each other, their feelings were clear. In just three days, she had mesmerised him and made herself an intrinsical part of his life.

He could have stayed in that moment, taking in her beauty, the blush in her cheeks, her sparkling eyes, but at that moment, he was summoned. _'Peter might we have a word'. _Damn it!

'I've got to go, believe me, I don't want to. I'll catch you later.' He moved into a high-speed mode, and it allowed him to take in her beauty one last time before knocking on the professor's door. 'You wanted to see me' he muttered. This wasn't going to be good.

'So, she's decided to stay.' It wasn't a question. It was a clear statement.

'She didn't say.' It was true, although he genuinely hoped she wouldn't leave now.

'She's going to stay. I believe she will be a great addition to our team. She is a powerful mutant, and when she has been trained, very few will be able to stop her. That's why I need you.'

Peter shot the professor a quizzical look. He didn't need to voice his question. 'She responds well to you. She trusts you. I want you to train and develop her but keep her grounded. Training her myself would possibly hinder our relationship'.

During the conversation, Peter couldn't help but focus on the tender moment he and Crystal shared, flashes of the memory crossed his mind. The professor typically couldn't follow Peter's train of thought, but his mind wasn't being as erratic as usual.

'That did not escape my attention. While I do not normally approve of relationships on-site, I have to accept that some of you are adults now. I believe you and Crystal are a good match, you balance each other out well. But, I do wish to point out that Crystal is very vulnerable. She does not have a full understanding of the outside world. Be gentle with her emotions, she does not have control of them or her powers yet.' The sternness in his voice was slightly intimidating.

'Is that your version of a fatherly talk professor? It's a little more protective than I was expecting.' Peter has clearly hit a nerve. Crystal was one of the few chinks in the professor's usually impenetrable amour. 'She technically your daughter. What are you going to do about that?' He didn't want to pry, but he wanted to know what the professor was considering as Crystal's best interest.

'That will be a relationship that builds over time.' The tone in his voice told Peter the conversation was over. 'Now, I'm sure you've things to see to.'

It was a colder dismissal than what Peter had come to expect from the man he'd known since he was a teenager. Maybe he had finally pried too much. He knew he needed to smooth the situation slightly. 'Professor, I'll take care of her. You don't need to worry.'

Xavier sensed the conviction in Peter's voice and softened his expression, 'Thank you, Peter.'


	9. 9

He'd never been in charge of training another mutant. It was a big step for him. Peter thought about when he'd started his training and knew what his first step was. By the time he'd thought it through, he was standing next to Hank. The shock of Peter standing next to him caused Hank to bang his head. Peter caught the blue tint skin appear on his forehead, but anyone else would have missed it. Nobody noticed things like Peter.

'You'd better have a good reason for giving me a migraine' said his closest friend.

'You remember when we started X-men training you gave us all those tests to check out our limits. Fancy having a look at Crystal?'

'Get her down here now. I've been waiting for someone to ask me that since she got here. From a research point, she's fascinating. I looked into her files when I hacked into the systems to delete her information. The things she can do!' Peter could tell Hank was excited. He was speaking almost as fast as he did.

Within three minutes, Peter had Crystal in the lab, ready for Hank's testing. He could have done it in seconds but thought it was best to explain where he was taking her.

'We'll start with basic fitness tests' Hank said, pulling out his equipment. Crystal was strapped to heart monitors and all other sorts of wires that Peter had no name for. Science was not his thing. Not that he hadn't spent a significant amount of time doing the same tests. He had once been Hank's favourite experiment. Pushing his limits to see how much Peter could endure. The answer was a lot!

Crystal looked uncertain. It must have reminded her of her x-facility days. Peter zipped to stand next to the mutant he had shared such a tender moment less than half an hour earlier. With his support, they managed to get her fitness tests done.

'Wow! I'm impressed. You did better than nearly all the team. You fall straight into second place.' Said Peter gleefully. He had expected much worse.

'Better than you?' she smirked. She was in a good mood despite the testing, her smile reached her eyes. Peter noticed all the little things all the time. Crystal's little thing was that her eyes gave him access to her emotions. She also pulled her hair away from her face when she was upset. She would play with her hands when she was nervous. Damn it! Peter had become an expert on her body language. He hadn't meant to, she was just like nothing he had ever seen before. Peter realised he was lost in his pace again, Crystal and Hank weren't moving. He'd had a whole revelation about how he had obsessively studied her in the past three days and realised this was more than a physical attraction. She had barely finished the original sentence that brought on this epiphany.

'No one beats Peter at this bit. His mutation gives him practically unlimited endurance. He wore the first three treadmills out.' Hank said this proudly. Peter remembered how excited Hank had been when given the almost impossible task of measuring Peter's speed with technology that wouldn't hold up.

'Well then, what's next?' She sounded slightly impatient. Maybe she was tired. No, that wasn't it. She was an old pro at this. Her whole life was testing. She wasn't tired, this was just boring to her. Peter made a mental promise not to have her down here too often.

Hank has Crystal perform various tests with the different elements while he ran her blood through his machine. Peter watched as she created solid blocks with the air, made water appear, throw fire across the room. The professor was right. She was pure power. But, she seemed to have an exceptional level of control over this. What was the professor worried about?

'Well,' Hank took off his glasses and sat at his many computer screens. This was going to take a while, and Peter hadn't eaten for three hours. He dashed upstairs and made a sandwich, ate it and grabbed two cans of Pepsi. He placed one in Crystal's hand before Hank had got to the next word. 'Your psionic abilities are incredible. I've never seen any mutant that's able to control all four elements. That must be the inhuman DNA in you. I think that's why you have such strong physical endurance and speed compared to the average mutant. You're like a mutant plus.'

Hank was gleeful. This was his favourite part of the job. He continued to go on about how Crystal controlled the elements on a molecular level. He wanted to take her into the danger room to see if she could cause a tornado, but Raven was training, and it was best not to disturb her. Peter knew that Hank would be like a dog with a bone until Crystal had destroyed the lower levels with wind power.

Peter couldn't help but notice Crystal sat calmly through Hank's mini science lecture. She was so still; Peter had to check a couple of times he'd not accidentally slipped into 'Peter time', as the students called it.

She finally posed a question, 'what do we know about these Inhumans?'

Good question. Peter had to keep reminding himself she was half-alien. Half-alien, half professor. He knew how to pick them. Though his dad would be proud, not one part of her was human.

'I hacked their system to delete you from the database the night you got here, while the professor used Cerebro to delete you from the employees' minds. We don't have all the information, but we believe that they were the first breed of mutants. They started to react to something in the air that gave them powers. When humans found out the majority took the source of the mutations and fled the planet. A few stayed, but without the source, their offspring showed no sign of mutations for generations. That is until this century. The dormant genes have begun to activate again due to the radiation caused by mankind. Your mother, we know a little more about. She was given the code name 'power source' by x-facility. She came to earth to hide the source of the Inhumans' powers. She was captured by x-facility and used in their breeding project until she caused a psychic blast ending her life'. Hank spoke softly and handed Crystal his handkerchief once he was finished.

As she silently wept, Peter couldn't resist pulling her towards him and holding her tightly. He scooped her up, so they were sitting and just let her cry. Hank and Peter watched helplessly until she composed herself three minutes and seventeen seconds later.

'I want to stop now, please' pleaded Crystal.

Peter had a compulsion to stop the testing for today and started to help Hank pack everything away. This was the first time Crystal had used her voice manipulation in the mansion, and it almost went unnoticed. As Crystal stood up, her Pepsi fell from the bench Peter had sat them on. He automatically kicked into gear to catch it before it hit the floor. As he did, he realised his compulsion to stop the testing had gone. There were still things he wanted to know. At least he did know that as long as he could run, Crystal could never use her voice against him. Not that she needed to. He would do whatever she asked, even if he disagreed.

'How did you do that?'

'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I don't know how it works.' He could tell she was embarrassed.

'It's fine. You're safe down here. I promise we've had much worse. Scott's brother set the danger room on fire constantly in the early days.' Hank was as reassuring as possible, but Peter saw Crystal pull her hair back from her face. She was upset.

'Hank let's call it quits for today' Peter didn't want to break Crystal's morale or upset her. He should take her somewhere safe. It was twelve in the afternoon; the students would be starting lunch. He had a plan. Within minutes, he had whipped up a lunch, a blanket, set up a picnic and had Crystal sat outside to enjoy the summer afternoon.

'Wow, how long did you have this planned? It's pretty impressive.' She'd never had a picnic before. She'd never been treated with such kindness, it filled her with so many mixed emotions.

'Well, I've rushed you through the day, so to speak. I thought it'd only be fair to slow down and let you see the joys of the mansion. Training's fun, but there are other benefits to living in a mansion with a billionaire. The food is always good.' He gave her a little wink causing her to giggle gently.

They spent an hour talking and laughing. Crystal wanted to know about his childhood, so he told her about his mom and sister, his step-dad. His basement collection and how he used to steal twinkies just for something to do. In return, she had given him an insight into life in the x-facility and how she had been abused. He listened intently, placing his hand on top of hers, stroking his thumb across the back of her hands. She was overwhelmed by his compassion. She had never felt valued before now.

After their lunch, Peter had to leave to teach a class. He had the youngest mutants come out for their daily exercise. 'You'll be able to see from here if you want. They're always a handful. Only the professor can keep them calm, and I know he cheats.

As she watched, she saw Jean approach her. They hadn't had many conversations, but she always seemed sweet and pleasant.

'He really likes you, you know.' She started it like it was such an indisputable fact. Like the whole school knew.

'They pretty much do. Sorry, I don't mean to. It's hard to control.' Jean looked down as if she was embarrassed by her gift as well.

'I understand. I don't have a clue what my secondary mutations are and no idea how to begin to control them.' Crystal realised as she said this that she had a lot in common with Jean. She saw a future life-long friend.

'Jean, honestly...does it get easier?' She didn't have to elaborate for Jean to understand the full meaning of the question.

'With the professor's help, yes. Trust him, and it'll get better?'

The two of them bonded at that moment. The girls knew the other would be there as a shoulder to cry on in years to come.


	10. 10

Crystal quickly settled into the mansion. She had been allowed down into the danger room to develop her powers. It had taken time, but Raven finally stopped yelling and announcing her 'dead' during each session. She'd also settled into the school as well, starting correspondence courses in English literature and drama. She was also studying music (the professor thought it would help with her mutation). He had her working with the six youngest mutants in the mansion. She would paint with them, do crafts, play music. They read stories and did some writing. In the afternoon, Peter would take them outside for sport and bring them back, ready for her to give them lunch. She loved it. She loved her job, her new life was exciting, and she adored it.

The professor had also begun to work on her voice control; he was the only one immune to them. He regularly took her into the sitting room by the piano and practice. One particular session had created quite an uncomfortable situation for the unsuspecting father.

'You need to control your thoughts when project your emotions, otherwise you'll lack the power you need to sustain the hold.' Her father had been relentlessly in Crystal's need to control her emotions. She thought that she was getting better since she arrived. There had been no earthquakes or storms, which was an improvement. The lack of nightmares was also helping in her level of control.

'Should I try again?' Crystal was determined to have one successful attempt of empathy before dinner. She wasn't allowed to practice on any of the other residents yet, she aimed to present one evident emotion to her father. With his approving nod, they tried again. Crystal was focusing on joy, singing a Beach Boys song that she had become fond of. As she sang, her mind wandered off to the night before. Peter had planned a movie night. After they had devoured the pizza, he had pulled her onto his knee, tilted her face towards his...

'Thank you, Crystal, but that is quite enough.' Her father cut her off sharply.

Crystal stared at him with a look of confusion, 'sorry, I don't understand what the issue is. You told me to project joy.'

'Yes, but there are some things I would prefer not to know. I can forgive you, but Peter knows that you should not be sharing a room. Relationships, even Peter's, should not be rushed. I shall remind him of that fact tonight.'

'I don't know what you mean.' She had never seen her father show a slither of anger before, but it brought a new sense of panic to her, 'but please don't send him away. He stops the nightmares, it's the only way I can sleep.' Tears were brimming in her eyes.

'What nightmares? Why haven't you discussed this with me before?' His pride was hurt, his daughter had trusted someone before him. As a gift to Crystal, he blocked the nightmares from her mind hoping it would give her long-lasting peace. But the fact that her and Peter were breaking house rules was deeply concerning him.

At dinner the same evening, Charles found himself listening in on their conversations. He wanted to get a better understanding of their relationship, to see if it were as innocent as Crystal suggested. However, Raven interrupted his musings, 'you shouldn't be listening to their conversation, it's rude. Anyway, the way you stare at them is unnerving'.

'Their conversations amuse me, Peter's trying to explain what a zoo is, to no avail I might add. Besides, I am not allowed to worry about her? I only want her happiness'.

'Look at her, Charles. She is happy - they both are.' Raven looked over at the pair, laughing at the other side of the dining hall. 'And he needs her as much as she needs him'.

Charles shot her a look of perplexity, 'I didn't think Peter was unhappy.'

'You amaze me. You can't read Peter, so you don't notice how out of step he feels with the rest of us. He's twenty years younger than us, ten years older than Jean and the others. Crystal gives him a sense of purpose.'

He took more notice of the couple after that conversation. He saw how they reacted to each other entering a room, their eyes lit up, and their bodies would mould to each other. He took joy in their little habits, how Crystal would save Peter a seat at lunch, how he put his hand on her shoulder whenever she looked confused by something said. While he had sensed their initial attraction on the night they recused his daughter, he had failed to notice how that relationship had grown. It pleased him to see how happy his daughter had become, and how calm she made the formally frantic speedster.


	11. 11

A few months had passed, and the mansion was preparing itself for Christmas. Well, that's how Crystal viewed it. Between Jean and Peter, she never saw a box of decorations. They just floated downstairs individually and hung themselves on the tree that had been chopped down and erected in the hall in twelve seconds. Being her first Christmas, Crystal relied on the children to tell her about different traditions and their favourite parts of the holiday. The day it started snowing, they had all gone insane. The day had been a complete write-off. 'Please explain to me why we've brought a tree in from outside.' She was watching the children hang the only decorations that Jean had left for them.

'It's where Santa puts the presents!' Everett screeched at her. She knew he was excited, so she let it slide.

'How does he get to all the houses? Does he have a mutation similar to Peter or Kurt?' Every time the children tried to explain Santa to her, she came away even more confused.

'Santa as a mutant? I like it.' Peter was suddenly behind her, his arms around her waist. 'Kids there's some fresh batch of cookies in the kitchen. Why don't you go destroy them?'

Crystal rolled her eyes at the mini-stampede he had just created. 'Do you know how long it'll take me to settle them now?'

Now the room was empty he gave her a chaste kiss, 'just sing them a lullaby, they'll be down for the count. Plus it's Christmas. You should always eat enough to induce a sugar coma.' He must have gotten hungry halfway through his sentence because he started it empty-handed, but ended it with at least ten sugar cookies in his hand.

'Are you going to share those?' She asked mockingly. She knew Peter had to eat an insane amount just to keep up with how many calories he burnt a day. Plus he had just cleared the basketball court of all the snow. Hank wanted to keep it clear, just in case they needed the jet. Peter threw a cookie at her, and she caught it with the air, and it glided smoothly over to her. 'Thanks. What's your plan for the afternoon?'

'I'm nipping into the city to pick up your Christmas present, then I was hoping we could go ice skating. I just need you to make a rink.'

'The kids said Santa brought the presents. Why would you be picking up mine?' She quickly realised she had been misinformed by the look on Peter's face. She knew he was stifling a laugh. He sometimes did this when she'd misunderstood how the real world worked.

'I don't have the heart to ruin Christmas for you now.' He joked.

'Hey! I'm getting my information from a seven-year-old.' He zipped up to her and kissed her goodbye. As soon as she realised he'd left, she ran to find Jean. She needed help.

After half an hour, they had decided what Crystal could give Peter and the professor for Christmas. They left for the mall hoping they would miss her speedster boyfriend completely. Then, with a little science help from Hank, Crystal managed to get the perfect gifts wrapped and under the tree by the end of the evening. Feeling more relaxed, she went to find Peter, who was on the phone. She put her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. She gathered he was speaking to his mom, but she wasn't sure as she had never spoken to her.

'No, you don't want to spend Christmas on your own. I'll come down a day early.' There was a short pause. 'No, she'll want to spend it with her dad. You'll meet her, I'm not hiding her, but it's her first Christmas at the mansion.'

Crystal whispered into his ear 'what's going on?' She got a quick response. Peter's sister had made a last-minute change of plans and was now spending the day with her dad. Peter's mom would be on her own. Crystal and Peter were planning on visiting on the 26th, but Peter was now planning on leaving a day early. 'Just invite her here.'

Peter nearly dropped the phone. 'Hold on a minute, mom. Are you sure?' He was looking at her as though she had suggested they roast one of the children.

'It's not like she isn't pro-mutant and this way we can all spend the holiday together. That's what you wanted, right?'

'Mom, still there? Yeah, Crystal has invited you here. The mansion. Yeah. Ok, I'll pick you up tomorrow.' He turned to Crystal now and have her one of his carefree smiles, pulled her close to him and gave her a quick kiss. 'You're amazing. Now, how about I teach you to skate.'


	12. 12

Peter had been back from his mother's for half an hour and was practically banging down her door. 'Chrissy, if you're not downstairs in five minutes I'm taking you down no matter what you're wearing.' He was shouting at her now. Crystal hadn't been worried about meeting ms Maximoff at all until everyone started talking about it like it was a big deal. The looks they all gave her. The comments about meeting the parents on Christmas Eve. Once she'd realised what they were implying, she'd ran upstairs to change out of her sweats and just hadn't come down. 'Chrissy, I'm coming in.'

'What are you doing?' He was perplexed and had good reason to be. She was stood in her jeans and bra, with every top she owned spread over the bed. 'Chrissy, you're overthinking this.' In less than half a second, she was wearing her white, satin blouse with the v-cut and a pair of black kitten heels. 'You're sure these jeans match those shoes?'

'Chrissy, you look gorgeous. Why are you getting flustered by this?'

'I just want to make a good first impression.' She felt the air change and his hand round her neck. He must have had enough. Suddenly, she was in the hall facing a woman in her fifties. She smiled at Crystal, which filled her with ease as it was similar to Peter's.

'Well, Peter said you were beautiful. He wasn't doing you justice.'

'Thank you, Ms Maximoff.' Crystal was nervous, but she was trying to control it. There was no danger of a tornado forming in the hall, but she still wanted to make a good impression.

'Mary. Call me, Mary, please. I'm so excited that I'm finally meeting you. Peter talks about you, non-stop.'

'Thanks mom, why don't we go for a tour now before you embarrass me further. Any baby pictures hiding in your bag?' Peter took his mother's arm and started leading her away. He mouthed to Crystal that he would see her at dinner, though she was pretty sure he'd used his speed to leave her with a kiss.

By the evening, Peter had given his mother a full tour and introduced her to everyone. She'd had tea with the professor, and they had all settled in the drawing-room.

Crystal was sat next to Peter, with her head resting on his shoulder. He was running his fingers through her hair slowly. He didn't talk much when he did this. Crystal knew it was because he was focusing hard on maintaining a reasonable speed. Last time he lost concentration, he'd nearly taken a chunk of her hair out. 'So, what do people usually do on Christmas Eve?' Crystal asked as everyone sat quietly, exhausted from doing nothing, something she really didn't understand.

Her father answered first, 'Well, I can't speak for everyone but when I was little my family use to gather in this room, and we would sing carols at the piano.'

Peter scoffed, 'Sorry Professor, but you couldn't make your family sound posher if you tried.'

'Peter, don't be rude.' His mother went to give him a light tap on the back of the head, but he dodged it. 'I think that sounds lovely, and it certainly beats your tradition of breaking into people's homes and eating the cookies they left out.'

'Someone had to eat them'.

After a while, they decided that a few carols would be fun. Crystal was coerced into going first, as Mary was 'desperate' to hear her sing. She knew a few songs, as they had been playing non-stop all December. Hank kindly offered to play the piano for her as she sang. Instantly, the room calmed, the younger children in the room began to fall asleep as she wished them a merry little Christmas. Unintentionally she'd made everyone feel drowsy which led to the majority of them going to bed, carrying the smaller children upstairs with them. Before long, it was just Peter and Crystal left. They cosied up to each other opposite the fireplace, Crystal manipulating the flame, so it danced.

'Chrissy, I have something for you. I want you to open it now while it's just us.'

'Isn't that against the rules?' She teased as she nuzzled into his chest and curling her legs up onto the sofa.

'Just open it.' There was a box in his hand now. It was about the size of her hand and wasn't deep. She took it from him and began to open the lid. She gasped when she saw what was inside. A silver bracelet with two charms. The first was a silver lightning bolt. The second was a silver rose.

'Peter, it's beautiful. I love it.' As if he could read her mind, the bracelet was around her wrist before she could finish the sentence. She sat on her knees and turned her head towards him, placing a thankyou kiss on his cheek.

Very gently, Peter tilted her chin so their lips could meet. Her stomach was in knots, as it always was when Peter moved slowly, the anticipation building. Though they had started with a familiar rhythm, Crystal quickly became breathless. There was an urgency in her beau that was unexpected and primal. His hands caressed the side of her body until they rested on her hips, pulling their bodies together like magnets. Before she could comprehend the movement, she was laying on the sofa with Peter leaning into her, still kissing her with a fiery passion. Crystal could feel the flush in her cheeks as the desire inside of her was building, meeting Peter's level of urgency. She felt his fingers flutter down her neck, across her collarbone, undoing her blouse and...

'_Goodnight Peter, goodnight Crystal.' _Her father was speaking to them both. He must have heard their internal screaming desires for each other from his room in the otherwise quiet house. '_No need to disgrace the antique furniture. Off to bed, please. Your own bedrooms if you'd be so kind.'_

'How's it feel to be the daughter of the world's most powerful psychic?' Sighed Peter.

'Judging by the look on your face, about the same as it feels to be her boyfriend.' She stood up and walked around the back of the sofa. 'Goodnight, Peter. I really do love my bracelet.' She trusted herself to give him a gentle kiss goodnight and then headed upstairs towards her bedroom.


	13. 13

Christmas morning had been a flurry of activity. Presents were flying around the room (literally). The younger students were balls of energy, running between the adults with a deafening level of noise. Peter kept glancing at Crystal. She was sat with her father, opening a stunning pair of diamond earrings. While the morning had gone well, suddenly the smile was struck from the professor's face. Instantaneously the younger students marched upstairs absentmindedly. Peter's mom gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.

It had to be bad for the professor to move the little ones upstairs. Peter had half a mind to go check it out what had caused the commotion, but he knew the professor didn't need him to. As the X-men made their way to the hall, the professor spoke, 'Kurt, please take Ms Maximoff home and come straight back. Don't be alarmed, but Eric is at the gate. Let's offer him an olive branch and see what he does with it.'

Well, if there ever were a way to ruin Christmas, Erik Lehnsherr would have to be involved. Instinctively, Peter pulled Crystal into his arms. He knew he loved her, even if he hadn't dared to verbalise it yet. But he also knew Magneto has a nasty habit of destroying things you love; Peter wasn't about to let him get his hands on Crystal.

Assembled in the hall, they waited for the master of metal to barge in, tearing the place apart. They had trained for this precise moment; even though Charles saw the good in Erik, Raven wasn't as naive. She had always been worried one day he'd come back with a vengeance or he'd learn about Peter and try to forcefully remove him from the mansion. What they were not prepared for is what actually happened. Erik walked through the door, no helmet, no weird super villain cape. It was just him, looking like he'd walked through a war zone.

The professor was the first to speak, 'I'm glad you felt you could turn to us in your hour of need, old friend.'

'I thought a warning was the least I could give you. I don't know if they will come, but they are looking for powerful mutants for their new experiments. After Cairo, it makes sense they would come here.'

Pete has noticed on the few occasions the two men had been in the same room, they spoke in this strange way. It was like listening to half a conversation that you'd missed the beginning of. It was always 'they' or 'him' or 'it'. Could they just use a couple of names? Would it kill them?

Erik surveyed the team assembled in front of him.

'I assure you, Erik, they are more than capable of protecting the school and its occupants.'

Peter watched as Erik made eye contact with every mutant stood in front of him. At last, he got to the end of the line, where he and Crystal stood. 'I see you've recruited a new one since my last visit.' Peter didn't like the way his father was looking at her. Like she needed to be tested by him before she could call herself an X-men.

'How rude of me. Erik Lehnsherr, this is Crystal Xavier...my, daughter.' As the professor spoke, Peter enjoyed watching the smirk fall off Erik's face.

'It's been a while since my last visit Charles, but not long enough for you to have an adult daughter.' Erik was baffled, the tone of his voice didn't hide it.

'It's long and complicated. Why don't we go to my office, catch up and then discuss future plans? The rest of you may continue what you were doing.' Peter heard the younger mutants begin to move again, but the team did not move. The professor had noticed this, 'or you may continue to stand there with the perplexed looks upon your faces.'

'I've seen him before. Dad made me study mutant relations in the last two decades. He's the world's most wanted mutant. Why is he here?' Crystal felt she had every reason to be perplexed, as her father had said. Peter, however, just looked angry.

No one spoke, just stared at the door. Crystal was beginning to wonder if they were all trying to will it open, except half of them could open the door without a second thought. Peter was shaking. She had never seen him like this. He had lost control between time shifts. His arms were still around her waist, tightening with every vibration, making it difficult to breathe. 'Peter.' He was operating on a different frequency, unable to hear her anymore. She removed her hands from his and created a small force with the air around her. It was just enough to force his arms open, snapping him back to reality.

'Sorry, Chrissy. We need to talk.'

And then they were outside, under their pergola. There were still silver roses blooming around it even though it was the middle of winter. Hank theorised that Crystal had subconsciously connected herself to them. The roses were growing because she was happy. He couldn't explain the science behind it, but in the past six months, the roses had been growing every day. Crystal just thought it was romantic, while Peter enjoyed that the mystery kept Hank awake at night.

'Chrissy,' he spoke softly and interlocked his fingers with hers, 'Magneto, Erik is my dad.'

She had to stop herself from pulling away. 'What!'

'He doesn't know. He left before my mum knew she was pregnant. I've met him a couple of times. The first was when I broke him out of the pentagon. The second was Cairo.'

'Why are you so angry if he doesn't know who you are?' She wanted to help him, she just needed to understand what he needed from her.

'I get mad that I don't know what to say to him. I just chicken out. I've never felt connected to the world, you know. I'm always out of step with it. Having him around is a reminder of that. He's the reason I've always felt so frustrated with the rest of the world. My mom and sister are great, but they didn't understand me. Literally sometimes. It took me a while to slow my speech down for them to know what I was saying'.

'Hey,' she moved her hand to his cheek and stroked her thumb forward and back, 'you aren't like that anymore. You have a whole life here, and you've got me. Tell him or don't tell him. Whatever you want to do. But know I'll support you.'

She leaned in and kissed him softly. He pulled her into his arms and held her against him. He needed this comfort right now.

'Dad wants us. It sounds important, you'd better take us.' Crystal closed her eyes ready for Peter to move her.

Crystal walked in before him. She went over to the professor and kissed him on the cheek. 'Is everything alright father?' Peter had seen how hard the professor had worked to create a strong relationship with his daughter. They had private lessons three times a week. Peter knew one of those 'lessons' was Crystal and the professor bonding. You could test Crystal on any member of the Xavier family, she'd never fail. You'd think she grew up in the mansion, which is how the professor wanted the world to see her. He'd even had Hank and Sage hack systems to get her a birth certificate, driving license and social security number. She was an American citizen. No one would know she'd spent her life in a cell.

'Everything is fine.' He smiled as she sat on the sofa next to Charles' chair and placed her hand on his. She must have sensed that Charles was worried about the current situation.

'Charles. What I have to say is strictly confidential. I understand why you must tell your daughter, but why must you invite the other?' Erik declared from the other side of the room.

Peter whizzed to sit by Crystal's side and placed a defensive hand upon her knee. He didn't want her in the same room as Erik. She was Peter's weakness, and Erik knew how to exploit a vulnerability to get what he wanted.

'I see' Erik nodded, realising Peter would not leave her side.

'Crystal, Erik has been researching the x-facility. It appears that, in your absence, they haven't completely forgotten about Inhumans. Currently, their scientists are trying to exploit the power source your mother brought with her. They have been able to extract some power from it to test on mutants, but it has adverse effects. Some have had their powers enhanced, but then they burn out quickly. Some are grossly mutated even further and some...' The professor was looking into Crystal's eyes and was clearly upset by the information he was sharing.

'Die instantly' finished Erik.

'How does this link to Crystal?' Peter was growing impatient. Crystal was pulling her hair back away from her face. She was getting upset. Stressed.

'All the mutants used in testing were low level. Stryker believes that he would have better luck if he tested on higher-level mutants, such as the X-men living in this mansion. I'm sure he'd have a field day if he were to become reacquainted with you.' Erik said coldly.

'So Stryker might come after me? Again?' There was apparent panic in her voice now.

'Yes and no. Stryker wants powerful mutants. I do not believe he will steal anyone from the mansion unless he can't find any in the general public. Though I would prefer he come here as opposed to attacking helpless mutants. We have time to ready ourselves.' Peter could tell the professor was trying to calm his daughter, but he understood her better and calm she was not.

'What's the plan?' he asked, knowing it would make her feel better. She needed control. She needed to keep busy.

'I will monitor Stryker from Cerebro to make sure he doesn't start kidnapping mutants. Raven will be running double training sessions readying you all for an attack on the school and a rescue mission from the x-facility. Crystal, Erik will be working with you to develop your elemental manipulation. Your mutations are similar, he'll be able to push you further. Our lessons will now focus on your hypnotic control. If Stryker were to remember what you are, I'm sure he'd come for you immediately. I need to know you're ready for that.'

What! He was going to hand his daughter over to that madman. Had he lost his mind? Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing. Crystal just sat there, absorbing all the information she had been given. After a few seconds, she nodded and muttered an 'ok'. The professor dismissed her but asked Peter to stay.

'Peter, is there anything you wish to discuss?'

Really? They were doing this now? He needed to get to Chrissy. He needed to check on her, not play happy families. He knew the professor wasn't going to be able to read this mind while it was running this fast, so he shook his head.

'Very Well' said the professor. Peter went to leave. 'Peter, one more thing, do not let her out of your sight. If someone comes for us and she's in danger she can't get out of, you take her and run.'

'You're scared, professor.' It wasn't something Peter was used to seeing.

'It's taken time for Crystal and me to become a family. Now that might be taken away from me. Of course, I'm scared. Now, go find her and comfort her.'

He didn't need to be told twice.


	14. 14

Crystal was sure she was in a nightmare. Something was off, it couldn't be the reality she had come accustomed to. It was too empty, too quiet to be real. Still, it terrified her that she might really be awake. Her footsteps echoed across the cold hallway. Her breathe formed in front of her face as she shivered. She couldn't remember how she got here, but somehow knew where she was going. Pushing the oak door open, she found herself standing back in the X-facility. The door slammed shut behind her, forcing her to go forward. An invisible focus was leading her back to the cell that had kept her contained throughout her life. Shock hit her like a freight train when she realised the cell was already occupied. Peter was sat broken and battered, trapped in the inescapable room. A deep voice came from behind her, 'welcome home Crystal'.

She shot up, dripping in cold sweat. Her eyes flickered around the room, unnerved by the fact she couldn't see Peter. Restless and nervous, Crystal decided she wasn't going to get to sleep again this evening. Breathless, she headed off to the kitchen to get a glass of water. It shocked her to find the light was already on when she reached the doorway. 'Mr Lensherr, I'm sorry...I didn't realise anyone would be downstairs at this time of night'.

'I couldn't sleep. I gather that is the reason for your presence also.' Erik spoke so coldly, Crystal could not comprehend how he and Peter could be related. Peter was so warm and generous, full of life. His father seemed nothing like that.

'Nightmares. It's an everlasting side effect for years of torture I'm afraid. My father thought he'd created a mental block stopping them, but it seems that some are creeping through. It'll break his heart to find out.' She didn't know why she gave him this information. Still, he was Peter's father, and she suspected that eventually, there would be some sort of relationship.

'Yes, the young Xavier. I must admit the idea of Charles as a father is amusing. He finally has a reason to aim to exert complete control over someone.' There was an uneasy smirk from the brooding mutant sat across from her that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. She didn't know how to continue the conversation, and luckily she didn't have to.

'Chrissy, there you are. I thought I'd get back before you woke up. You alright?' Peter slouched into one of the chairs, grabbing bits of food out of the cupboard at random moments.

'Nightmare.' She smiled softly at him, hoping he wouldn't press her further on the content for what was keeping her up this evening. 'Where did you go?'

Peter eyed Erik, clearly uncomfortable being in the same room, 'I ran down to D.C, just to catch my mum. It's still Christmas after all. I thought you'd stopped having nightmares.' In his concern, he fleeted to her side to comfort her. Pulling her close, he nuzzled in her hair, breathing in her honey-like scent. He wanted to whisper words of comfort to her but remembered they weren't alone.

'Well, you two are quite intense. Being in the same room as you should come with a health warning.' Though the words were a little harsh, Crystal caught the smirk that accompanied this retort to their affections, and it made her smile.

'Well, it is quite the party here. Can I ask why we are all awake during the early hours of the morning?' Charles appeared at the door, completing the family unit.

'You could ask Charles, it doesn't mean we will tell you.' Erik seemed to take delight in making others feel uncomfortable. Still, Crystal wasn't going to let him make her father uncomfortable in his own house.

'Peter wanted to see his mum, and I woke up thirsty.' Crystal pulled away and went to sit down at the seat Peter vacated, though he got there first and pulled her onto his lap. Resting her head upon his shoulder, she attempted to stifle a yawn but failed miserably.

'Go back to bed Crystal, you're clearly still tired.' Her father urged her.

'I am, but I don't think that I'll be able to sleep again tonight.'

'I think I can fix that'. With those words, Crystal slouched further into Peter, whose reflexes allowed him to catch her before she fell. 'Take her up to bed please Peter. Then return to your own room.' With that, the young couple had left the room.

'Really Charles, trancing your own daughter, that has to be a low even for you.' Erik's voice was tinted with frustration.

'She has trouble sleeping. A little help is nothing to be concerned about Erik'.

'It's seemed that she had all the help she needed without anyone getting inside her head. The boy has a positive effect on her, leave them be. If you try to pull them apart, you'll only succeed in pushing them closer together.'


	15. 15

The next two weeks had everyone in the house watching and waiting, but Stryker wasn't acting yet. He was too busy dealing with the Mutant Registration Act to be kidnapping mutants from their beds. However, Erik had made it clear, it was a front to be able to locate powerful mutants. Luckily, the professor had been invited to go speak at a conference to discuss the Act and had asked Peter and Crystal to be a part of the team that accompanied him. Erik and Raven were left in charge of the school.

Peter had been involved in several conversations about if it was wise for Crystal to be in the same room as Stryker. Ultimately, he'd come to the conclusion that the professor wanted her with him to know she was safe. Peter was going for two reasons. Firstly (and he'd been smug about this) his Chrissy flat out refused to go without him. Secondly, the professor had meant it when he said he didn't want Crystal out of Peter's sight. He seemed to have a change of heart about the pair altogether. Crystal had even moved out of her suite and into Peter's room. Charles decided it was appropriate as long as there was no 'showboating with Scott', which sucked the fun out of it a little for Peter. Not that anything had happened since Christmas Eve. Peter had regretted his actions that night, he was worried that he had rushed Crystal into something she didn't fully understand. For now, he was quite content, just knowing she was lying next to him.

So Peter, Crystal, Hank and the professor travelled to Washington to speak to the politicians who would vote on this Act. Peter wasn't hopeful after the events in Cario people were divided over mutant rights. People wanted to know who their neighbours were and what they could do.

'Have you seriously left all your packing till the last minute?' Crystal scowled, 'we need to take everything down to car'. She had been packing for days and was still unsure about what to take.

There was a flurry around her, as the cases seemingly packed themselves and piled up at the door. Peter appeared statue-like, except for the smirk that materialised across this face.

'That's not fair, and I hate it when you do that.' She didn't know why she bothered to pretend to be cross. The smile in her eyes always gave her away. Peter stood up, and the suitcases disappeared.

She rushed downstairs to meet him and fell into his arms with a startle at the bottom of the stairs. 'So, you don't like this? You really hate it?' teasingly he pulled her further into him for a kiss.

'Ahem, the car's out front. It's time to go.' Hank hurried them out the door.

When they had got there, they were mainly ignored. Well, Peter was. Hank was speaking to experts on the science behind mutants and the benefits of having then within the general population. The professor was requested for private discussions with senators and colonels. And Crystal. Crystal was the star of the show. Everyone was enamoured with her, clearly recognising her mutation. She was too graceful, too flawless to be anything else. She, with the professor, talked to as many people as possible trying to gain support. Peter knew what was happening. She was trying so hard to make a good impression, she was imposing that onto anyone who heard her. Still, it was impressive to watch. They were all bending over backwards, trying to please her, getting her anything she needed. Peter would have felt jealous if he knew she didn't despise the people around her.

The main event for the team was the professor's big speech, where he talked about compassion and how fear-mongering would cause humans and mutants to fight unnecessarily. He spoke of ethics and a sound education system. They had planned it to the letter, making sure they got Stryker's attention. They needed to leave the room knowing Stryker was going to come for them. During the speech, the professor had gained some support, but there were grumbles, some were more vocal.

'How can we be expected to protect ourselves against these mutants if we don't know who they are or what they can do?'

'Senator Kelly' spoke the professor 'if mutants and humans are taught ethically and understand tolerance, you won't need to protect yourself.'

'Would a gun stop every mutant that could break into your home? Yes or no?' This was from Stryker and Peter felt Crystal stiffen at the back of the room.

'No' uttered the professor 'but killing one mutant could cause an uprising that would be uncontrollable.'

'How?' There was a sense of nervousness now amongst the soldiers and bodyguards in the room.

It was showtime.

'My daughter Crystal, for example, she can control the elements. If she chooses to, she could drown everyone in the room or burn the building to the ground.' All eyes turned to the back of the room to stare at the beautiful mutant by his side. God, he hoped this worked. 'She would not, of course, because she has been taught better. That's what you need to do for all mutants. If you act out in violence against one mutant, you may find a revolution on your hands which is uncontrollable.'

The professor had gotten into Stryker's head and had him motioned his fingers to have soldiers pointed their guns at Crystal. Peter knew his move. He collected their weapons and sat on the stage with them piled by him before anyone had time to aim.

'You see if we do not teach tolerance and respect. If we do not show young mutants not to be scared and let them live normal lives, they will fight the system. They would cause damage beyond repair. If they see the government pulling mutants from their beds, registering mutants and limiting their freedom, they will act from fear.'

'Thank you, professor, for the demonstration.' Peter helped the professor down to the back of the room, and out the double doors.

'Did it work?' Hank asked eagerly.

'Yes, Stryker is highly interested in Peter and Crystal. He won't be hunting mutants down anytime soon'.

'Did you need to have all those guns pointed at my head?' Crystal wasn't showing any signs of anger, just confusion. 'How is that going to help?'

'They needed to see how mutants would bound together if they felt threatened. They need to see us as a collective, our little demonstration was the perfect example. Besides, I'd never let them shoot you, darling.' The professor spoke quietly, his mind clearly focusing on the room they had just left. 'It has gone over well with more modern members. Some, thanks to Hank, have come to see the benefits of mutants in society. Of course, we were never going to change the minds of the more hardcore and extreme views'.

Later that evening, as it was the final evening of the event, the team were invited to a ball. How had Peter ended up at two of these in the last seven months? He hated these things. Politicians pretending to be kind to them. Making pleasantries. At least the professor had the opportunity to explain and persuade. Peter thought that this night would be pointless until Crystal stepped out in the hall to meet him, Hank and her father. She stood in a flapper-style silver gown and matching heels. Her neckline plunged, showing off her elegant neck and collarbone. The silver fabric had subtle purple embroidery in between an array of sequins and jewels, the light causing the dress to sparkle. Her hair was placed in an elaborate twist, showing off the earrings she had received for Christmas. And on her delicate wrist sat the bracelet Peter had brought her, with an added charm of the US Capitol Building to commemorate her visit. She was a vision, leaving him gobsmacked. Of course, he knew Crystal was beautiful, but tonight she was a precious gemstone, the envy of all other women. She took his arm so he could accompany her to the event.

He really wished they had just gone home instead, as it wasn't long before Stryker found them. 'Well if it isn't Xavier's elite mutants. What are you doing here?'

Peter just wanted to beat the shit out of him, but Crystal was next to him, and he wouldn't put her at risk. Running would create suspicion. There was no choice but to talk it out. Plus the professor wanted Stryker to be drawn to them as opposed to hunting down defenceless children.

'We were invited. People want to hear what we have to say, unlike you. Now run along Colonel before you start something you can't finish, again.' It was cocky, but Peter had no patience for the piece of shit stood in front of him.

'Watch who you're talking to. I got you once. Next time I'll have you split open in a lab before you have time to summon a group of kids to save you.' He spat when he spoke from pure frustration.

Crystal hadn't moved. She had barely breathed. Stryker looked her up and down, then locked eyes with her. She looked like she was going to faint. 'You look familiar, have we met?' There was a coldness to his tone, which unnerved Peter. Time to end the reunion. 'She's been here all week idiot.' As he spoke, he grabbed Crystal and whisked her across the room.

'That was foolish. You shouldn't provoke Stryker, it'll put a target on your back'. The concern in her voice moved him.

'That's the point remember. Now, stop worrying and dance with me'. He led Crystal to the dance floor in the middle of the room. It allowed them a few moments to be alone, even with all the eyes on them.

'This reminds me of when we first met.' Crystel leant up to whisper in his ear, 'you were rude the first time we met, do you remember?'

'I was annoyed. I thought you were there to kill the professor. I remember thinking it'd be easier to take her down if she wasn't so beautiful.'

She giggled at the thought, 'You did not think that, and if you did that wasn't the phrasing you used.'

Peter gave her his signature half sided smile. That was his only response.


	16. 16

They were nearly home, Peter was restless, sat in the back of the car, much to the amusement of Hank. The prick. Crystal had not slept well that night and had fallen asleep on the back seat of the vehicle. Her head was in his lap, her legs curled up on the rest of the seating. Facing inwards to him, her hand was resting on the top of his thigh. Every now and again it moved as she shifted in her sleep. The movement was unique in the fact that it filled Peter with equal amounts of arousal and discomfort at the same time. She looked divine in her high-waisted jeans and white vest top, and he knew he wanted her. Did she know how she made him feel? Two weeks ago at Christmas, he thought they were on the same page, but now he felt he was going to explode just from the tension she was causing him. He had to compose himself. He took a couple of deep breaths and reminded himself that he didn't want to rush her. It was her pace, and he wasn't going to force her hand like he did at Christmas. It didn't help that everyone was slow compared to him. He felt like he'd known Crystal half his life, not just eight short months.

'Hank, I think it's best we just park at the front. I can sense a commotion within the mansion.' The professor sounded apprehensive but not overly worried.

Peter assumed that he woke Crystal up; she bolted upright as they drove up the drive. 'Everything ok dad?'

'I believe things are about to get messy. Prepare yourselves for the worse.'

They got to the front of the house and exited the car swiftly. Peter could hear shouting from inside, it sounded like Raven and Erik. Then the main doors flew open. There stood Erik, flannel shirt, jeans and his helmet. Oh shit!

'There he is. Old friend.' The bitterness in his voice was immense. 'You lied to me!' The car was thrown across the grounds. 'You know how important family is to me and you've been hiding my son this whole time.' A metal bar flew from inside the house towards them. Hank, now entirely blue, grabbed the car to use as a shield. On instinct alone, Peter grabbed Crystal and moved her out of the firing line. He then edged the bar so it would miss the professor, Hank and their make do shield. He stood next to Crystal in case they needed to make a quick exit.

'Erik, you need to calm down. I did not hide Peter from you. In fact, I have encouraged him to tell you numerous times. It just wasn't my secret to tell. It wouldn't be ethical.'

'You and your ethics. I'm your friend. You should have told me.' This time the iron railings headed towards to professor. Peter didn't need to intervene, Crystal had formed a solid wall of air as a barrier between their two fathers. 'Oh, yes. I almost forgot about you. The piece de resistance. You got your daughter to get her hooks deep into him, didn't you.'

'Erik that's enough. Yes, you're angry but that relationship formed on its own.' Charles didn't seem to appreciate Erik taking cheap shots at his daughter.

'After everything we've been through. You always thought I'd stolen Raven from you. Is this your retribution? You steal my son?' Erik spoke with pure rage. The verbal tennis match between the two was uncomfortable to watch. Peter knew he needed to step in.

'Hey. Nobody stole me, I'm here by choice. I was going to tell you, but every time we're together, it's some sort of crisis. I wanted it to be at the right time.' He could see Erik starting to calm, and he used the opportunity to grab Crystal's hand. 'Chrissy and I are a package deal. If you can't accept that, you should leave. We all know you have two don't like each other. But that's all tough shit because I love her.'

The effect those words had would have been comical in any other context. Hank dropped the car from his grasp, the railings dropped to the floor, clattering at the professor's feet, and Crystal dropped her wall with so much force, she'd damaged the ground around them.

'Peter, you've never said that before.' Crystal stood in awe. She seemed to be in complete shock.

'It's not how I was planning on telling you. My mouth ran away with me.'

'Perhaps you two should go somewhere private to talk. Erik, how about we have a drink. There's brandy hidden in my office.' The professor headed towards the steps; before Crystal had the chance to help, Erik had levitated the chair, and the professor was in the main hall. He seemed relieved by Erik's act of kindness, so the rest of them began to relax too. Hank turned the car back onto its wheels and followed them into the mansion, smiling with amusement.

'So.' It was Crystal's turn to speak. The sunlight was shining behind her as it set. The light caught her blonde hair, giving it a golden glow. Her blue eyes seemed to be piercing into Peter's soul. 'You love me?'

His mouth was dry. He felt hot and sticky. As Crystal watched him, he knew he was jittering. He just stared into her eyes, hoping she'd sense everything he wanted to say to her, but he knew that wasn't one of her many talents.

'Peter.' She stepped up to him now. She smoothed his hair, which had been disarrayed from moments ago. After she did this, she ran her hands down her arms, down to his hands and interlocked their fingers. It must have been mere seconds to her, but it felt like hours to him. 'I love you too.'

Relief hit him like an ice-cold shower. Every muscle in his body relaxed, and he grabbed the gorgeous beauty stood in front of him, lifting her off the ground as he spun her, pulling her towards him.

They walked inside the mansion still holding hands, deciding it would be best to go check their fathers hadn't killed each other, but Crystal was pulled away by Jean almost immediately, so the task of the mediator was left to Peter. As he approached the door, he heard their fathers' conversations.

'It's an interesting development, I assure you it happened naturally.' The professor must have moved onto telling Erik about the trip.

'Are you sure it's not her mutation controlling him? You said she could impact emotions.'

'Not for a substantial amount of time. Plus, it's almost impossible to get inside Peter's head. He thinks too quickly and too erratically. I, myself, can only reach him when he is focused on a single thought. Crystal would never be able to hold him for longer than a few seconds, if at all.'

Peter rolled his eyes. Why was this so hard for Erik to comprehend?

'Then, I shall have to accept it. Though the thought of possibly one day sharing a grandchild with you is concerning. It would make for some awkward holidays.'

'I don't believe that's something we have to worry about yet.'

Great. Peter loved that he had been able to listen to their two fathers talking about the most intimate part of his relationship. Though he was thankful that Crystal wasn't with him.

The professor called from inside the room, 'come in Peter.'

'Where is she?' Erik still clearly didn't like Crystal. Hopefully, the professor wasn't going to let him train her now. Peter must have not been able to hide his distaste as Erik's next remark was, 'there's no need to look at me like that.'

'Sorry, daddy dearest.' It wasn't his best reply. Still, here he was, a man closer to 30 than 20 having two men discussing his relationship over a glass of brandy. Of course, he was going to be ticked off.

'Yes. How is your mother? I never understood why she ran out on me. Why did she choose to raise a child alone?' He seemed cynical in his remarks.

'Seriously? Do you not remember the killing spree you went on during your anniversary? She does, vividly.' Peter had been told this story a few times since he'd learned the truth about his father. His mother had been filled with terror, just retelling the story.

'I'd hardly call it a spree.'

'Erik, I don't think that was the point. Honestly, how you think you can hold meaningful relationships between murders is beyond me.' The professor wheeled himself behind his desk. Seconds later, the full team walked in. Peter's daddy issues would have to wait, a debriefing was about to start.

Crystal sat on the edge of her father's desk. Jean, Scott and Ororo took the sofa. Erik, one armchair, Kurt in the other. Hank and Raven huddled at the back, leaning against the door. That left Peter perching on the windowsill.

'Well,' The professor spoke quietly, clearly not wanting the younger mutants outside to hear. Peter shut the window that was just behind him. 'We learnt a great deal. We have an understanding of how they will vote for the Registration Act. I believe we will be safe. As for our friend, Colonel Stryker, Peter and Crystal managed to pique his interest, and he will be coming here once his lab is repaired.

'I do not like the idea of you using my son as bait.' Interpreted Erik.

'You didn't mind when it was Charles' daughter and, how did you put it? 'That one who hangs around her.' Chimed in Raven.

'We can't change plans now.' Crystal spoke with the same authority as her father. 'Stryker is coming for us. Jean, Ororo and Scott, when he gets here, you need to take the students through the tunnels and out the school.

'Exactly.' The professor took back control of the room. 'Hank, Raven and Kurt, you'll lead the rescue. Kurt, follow the plane and Hank and Raven will follow you in the jet. There is, however, one small change to the plan. Erik and I will stand ground with you.' He looked at Peter, then to Crystal.

'Dad, that's ridiculous. You'd be safer in Cerebro and monitoring from there. You're the only one who can keep us all connected.' Crystal was clearly distraught by the new plan, but Erik looked thrilled. The smirk on his face was apparent.

The professor chose to brush over Crystal's comment. 'I have one more piece of information to share. The source of the Inhumans power is, ironically, a crystal. It creates some type of mist which is inhaled. Mentally, Stryker referred to it as the Terrigen Crystal.'

Crystal dropped to the ground instantly. Peter managed to grab her head before it smacked the side of the desk. She screamed in pain.

'Professor, what's happening?' There was a flurry of activity around Peter, but he could only focus on Crystal. 'Chrissy, Chrissy look at me. What's wrong?'

Still writhing in pain. Crystal cried out that she was burning. Peter felt her cold skin and began to panic. As she writhed, she'd lost control of her powers and air became stifling, it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.

'Jean, lift Crystal off the ground onto the sofa please.' The professor had somehow maintained a level of calm. He placed his hands either side of Crystal's head, and she became still. 'There we are. A hidden memory focusing itself forward.'

'What's the memory, Charles? It must be painful to cause such a reaction.' Even Erik was concerned. He moved over to Peter and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. As much as Peter didn't want a dad, he did feel he'd need support standing if Chrissy didn't wake up soon.

'It's from when she was a baby. That's why it's so painful. It was so long ago. It seems to have been implanted by her mother. She must have been a powerful psychic in her own right. It's a message she's left for me. The phrase Terrigen Crystal was the trigger.'

'What's the message, Charles?' Raven was all business now, which angered Peter slightly. Why wasn't she more upset. Chrissy might be still, but she was clearly in pain.

The professor let go of his hold on Crystal, allowing Peter to support her as she slowly came round. 'Just background information on the Inhumans. Nothing of value. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to talk to my daughter alone.'

'I'm not leaving her.' Peter was defiant, as everyone else swiftly left the room. No one was going to peel him away from her at this moment in time.

He saw the professor and Erik exchange looks. It was Erik that spoke to him, 'come on, I'll get you a drink.'

'You've been my dad for all of five minutes. Don't try and bond with me when the woman I've been in a relationship with for seven months is in pain.'

'Right now, she needs her father. Which means you'll have to make do with me for five minutes.' Erik managed to coerce him out of the room and shut the door behind them. He took Peter to the kitchen. After two minutes of awkward silence between them, Peter finally voiced the questions he'd been pondering since they left.

'Do you think she's ok? What did the professor really see? Do you think Chrissy saw it too? Is she less safe than what she was before?'

'Slow down. You lost me on all of that. You do speak incredibly fast.' Erik was impressed, but Peter didn't care.

'Sorry, I'm normally better at controlling that part. I'm just anxious.'

'I can see you care deeply for her.'

'Yeah. Crystal is the best part of me. I'm gonna marry her one day, I just know it.' Peter registered the shock on Erik's face. He wasn't sure why he'd told him that. He'd pictured it a bunch of times, but he'd never verbalised it before.

They sat there for another minute until (finally) Erik received a message from the professor saying he and Crystal had finished their conversation. Peter was by Crystal's side before Erik had said the second syllable of 'Professor'.

'Everything ok Chrissy?'

She didn't make eye contact with him. She looked at her hands, sheepishly. 'Peter, I don't want to stay at the mansion tonight. Could you take us somewhere quiet where we could talk?'

The confusion that ran through his mind was overwhelming. The confusion quickly turned to panic. But within all that was an idea of the perfect place to take her.


	17. 17

'Are we in a warehouse?' Peter had sat her on a bed in the corner of a room unfamiliar to her. As she looked around, she decided it must belong to a teenage boy. It was a mess; there were junk food wrappers everywhere. But it wasn't quite a bedroom. There were arcade games lined against one wall, a ping-pong table, a small collection of TVs and a mountain of Twinkie boxes.

'No, it's my room.' He paused, looking over his collection of stolen goods. 'I really should take all this stuff back.' Peter seemed embarrassed about having her see this part of his life.

'Is your mum here?'

'No, I've left her a note on the kitchen counter saying we're here. She must still be at work.' Peter was proliferating concerned by Crystal's unusual behaviour. 'Chrissy, what's wrong?' He sat on the bed beside her, placing his hand on her knee. 'Chrissy talk to me.'

She didn't want to cry. In fact, she was desperate not to. Peter turned her face towards him, desperately seeking answers. Crystal didn't have the heart to share the information she had learnt, she just wanted him to be a source of comfort. She knew he would not anticipate what was going to happen next. She slid her hand under his signature silver jacket and forced it off with a blast of air. As she did this, she kissed him longingly. She crawled up on the bed, on her knees now she removed his shoes and undid his belt in the same way she had removed his jacket. His warm hands against her skin made her realise Peter had undressed her, leaving her in her bra and panties. She felt his hand come behind her neck, and instantly she was laying on the bed.

'Chrissy are you sure? Once we start this, I won't be able to stop.' There was a worried tone in Peter's warning, but it only fuelled her more. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him down to continue kissing her ravenously. He moved his lips onto her neck, her ear. At one point, he was moving too fast for her to know what he was doing, she felt her whole body come alive simultaneously. The sensation made her give a little cry of pleasure.

Hours later, Crystal rolled onto her side to face Peter. He'd fallen asleep some time ago, exhausted. Her body still hummed with pleasure, but her mind was racing. Flashes of a long-forgotten memory were bombarding her thoughts. Trying to focus on more pleasant things, Crystal thought about when the last time the couple had eaten was. It had been a long, eventful day. She slipped on one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxers from his drawers and snuck upstairs. She realised it was morning when the light hit her eyes. She found her way to the kitchen and began to hunt down breakfast.

'Morning Crystal.' The sudden shock caused her to hit her head in the cupboard she was currently under.

'Morning Ms Maximoff. I was just going to make Peter some breakfast.' Crystal suddenly became acutely aware of what she was wearing and tried to edge herself behind the counter.

'I can see that, and I'd double the amount of bacon you've put on. Here let me help you.'

They cooked breakfast together and had pleasant chitchat as they did. Crystal was surprised by how well they got on. She had enjoyed their time at Christmas, but it had been rushed. The Maximoff house was just calmer than the mansion, and she needed that right now. After about fifteen minutes, Peter had joined them and scoffed every piece of food on the table in two minutes flat.

Crystal caught Peter and his mother glance at each other. Ms Maximoff gave him a raised eyebrow before saying 'it looks like you have a lot to sort out. I'll leave you to it. Don't leave without saying goodbye.'

As soon as she left, Peter pulled Crystal onto his knee and pulled her hair from her face. 'Crystal, last night...we have a problem.'

Her face was filled with panic. 'Did I do it wrong?'

He chuckled, 'God no. I mean setting that box of Twinkies on fire wasn't great, but I quite liked that levitation thing you did.'

'Sorry. I tried to control it, but it was difficult to stay focused.' She felt the blush on her face.

'We're getting off-topic. You didn't tell me what the problem was to start with. You just made me take you away from the situation and distracted me with sex'. Speaking softly in his girlfriend's ear, Peter held her close, drawing little circles on her thighs with his fingers. 'Chrissy, as nice as this is, we need to go back to the mansion. We can't hide here forever.'

She knew he was right, and she knew he deserved the truth about what she and her father had seen, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. He'd be devastated. She had to lie. 'I saw my mother.'

'What?' He spoke absentmindedly, still caressing her skin.

'In the memory. That's why I was upset. It was her last moments.' This was half true. She did see that she would just leave out what her mother had said.

'Chrissy.' She could see he was at a loss on how to comfort her. 'Are you going to be ok?'

She nodded in response, placed her head on his shoulder and asked if they could go home. Within ten minutes, they had said goodbye to Peter's mom and were heading back. Peter pulled his goggles down, and she felt him pull her close to him. Before she could register anything else, they were at the front doors of the mansion.


	18. 18

Peter felt out of the loop the moment they got back. He knew Charles, Erik, Raven Hank knew something he didn't. They would look at Crystal with pity whenever they thought he wasn't looking.

They also upped training to a ridiculous amount. Raven had them practice in their teams ready for an attack on the mansion. Which meant Peter, Crystal and their fathers were locked in an inescapable room for an hour every day. It always ended in two things: a successful mission and an argument between Charles and Erik after Erik killed the fake soldiers. The tension between the two caused the young couple some concern, especially when their names got thrown into an argument.

One day Hank had seemed to have another, but instead of calling the usual time out, he pulled Charles and Erik out, telling them they needed to see something. 'Peter, Crystal. Don't waste the hour or Raven will kill me. Rerun the simulation with just the two of you.'

'You ready?' Peter pulled his goggles down as Crystal nodded.

The lights came up as the danger room became a replica of the x-facility (or at least how Crystal remembered it). The stimulation had soldiers with plastic guns and sonic blasters. Even though they knew they were completely safe, neither of them wanted to be hit with pellets. They aimed to get out with the fake crystals Hank had made in hand.

'Let's go.'

They moved flawlessly between each other. At some point, Crystal had readied her hands for him, and he took her to the blasters. When he joined her speed, she'd already destroyed the blasters by freezing them. He was impressed with how quickly she could find her bearings after he moved her. They moved onto their next targets: the soldiers and the fake control room. Crystal finally created that tornado for Hank, and it swept away all their enemies. While that was happening, she created platforms of air for Peter to run up, so he could reach the control room. He threw the last two guards into Crystal's whirlwind and 'opened the gates' to the building. Crystal summoned the fake crystals through the air and Peter yelled time.

Hank's voice came from the speaker above '2 minutes, 34 seconds. Well done you two.'

'Well, that was quite extraordinary.' Charles was at the door. 'How did you become so in-sync with each other?'

'Good communication, I guess.' Crystal smiled as Peter worked his way down from the ledge and placed his arm around her waist.

Erik walked in behind Charles, 'no, it was more than that. You predicted where he was going to be with those platforms. I understand how Peter would know what you were doing so quickly, but not the other way around'.

Crystal looked up at Peter, slightly puzzled. 'Maybe I've just noticed his patterns, and I'm pre-empting his movements.'

'No - I've checked all the tapes. It's always random, yet you two always sync up.' Hank's voice came from the speaker again.

'Why does that sound like we're having more tests ran?' Peter looked up as he said this, clearly not as interested as Hank was in this new development.

On top of all the training and new testing, Erik had any mutant who would notice the early warning signs of an attack taking part in nightly patrols. He, Charles, Jean, Kurt, Peter and Crystal were all roped in. After four months, they had become used to the disturbance in their sleep. It didn't help that Crystal and Peter were essentially running double shifts, unable to fall asleep without knowing the other was lying safely next to them.

Peter would run laps around the mansion for two hours, then go wake up Erik for their switch. Crystal would sit in the TV room on the sofa, reading a book or writing an essay (it was the only time she could sit and do it with all the additional training). Tonight she was reading Hank's paper on her and Peter. He'd concluded that if mutants were in a relationship and in close proximity to each other for long enough, and their mutations complemented each other, they may blend over time. He believed that their synchronicity was caused by their full understanding and trust for each other on a subconscious level. It seemed like the roses all over again to Crystal, Hank was trying to link it to science. Really, she just knew what Peter would do in certain situations like he knew what she would do.

It was June, and as the nights were warmer, Crystal left a window opening during duty. The air was still. The only rapid movement was Peter running. Suddenly that stopped, and she felt a breeze across her face.

'It hasn't been two hours already has it?' She asked as she felt Peter's hands rubbing her shoulders and neck.

'No, but I wanted to give you this.' As he spoke, he handed her a silver rose from the garden and sat beside her. 'I've just realised it's past midnight. One year ago today you created those roses after I was such an awesome teacher.' He laughed, remembering the events of that day.

'No, you kissed me, and I got distracted.'

'Can't keep using that excuse. Trying to make out I have an impact on your body and powers. It isn't fair to me. It's pure slander.' He smirked as his hand ran up her knee and across the inside of her thigh, he squeezed it ever so gently, but it still made her release a small moan.

'Peter we're on duty.'

'You'll sense a change in the air from thirty miles off. I can literally be 45 seconds.' He was coaxing her now, but she was determined not to give in.

'45 seconds? That doesn't sound very enjoyable for me.' She pulled her neck away from his lips, trying to pull herself up straight.

'In 45 seconds, I can give you the same amount of pleasure you'd get from three hours, but all at once. Don't pretend you don't enjoy that when I know you do.' His hand was vibrating down her body now, causing her to lose her resolve. She gave another small moan and whispered to him '30 seconds tops.'

True to his word, 30 seconds later, they were sat fully dressed, composing themselves, kissing each other slowly and softly. Crystal felt the movement from upstairs but continued her tender moment with Peter. It wasn't until a knife came flying towards them from the kitchen that they parted. Peter caught it in his hand, while Crystal had started putting a dome around them. Peter lifted her arms around so that when he rejoined her time, the dome was entirely in place, though she took it down straight away when she saw their attacker was unarmed now.

'Is this how you two complete a watch?' Erik was whispering, but his anger was evident.

'Relax, we knew it was you.' Peter threw the knife into the dartboard across the room. Treble 20. Crystal knew he'd clearly cheated. 'No need to try and kill your own son for making out. Try living in a house with two psychics, eight empaths and a dad who just pops up when you least expect it. Chrissy and I don't get a lot of alone time.'

'You're calling Charles dad now?' Erik looked visibly hurt by the thought. He'd been working hard on being a father to Peter. Still, it was difficult to bond with an adult who acted like a teenager and had the attention span of a toddler.

'No. I was talking about you. You have this creepy habit of popping up every time Chrissy, and I think we have a minute to ourselves. Although this is the first time you've tried to injure me in the process.'

'It would have never hit...' Erik cut the end of his sentence short when he saw Crystal walk to the window. 'Crystal, what's out there?'

'Don't you feel that? The air is being disturbed by something big.' There was panic in her voice.

'Helicopters' Eric replied 'they're here.'

'They're just in my range. About 30 miles away.' She focused on the fire alarm and pushed the air around it, the bells went off. Everyone knew what to do. She and Erik were to lock the house down, while Peter collected all the students and put them in the tunnels. Erik threw metals plates at the windows, while Crystal fused them to the walls with heat. It took them less than three minutes to cover every possible entrance, except at the front door. Afterwards, they ran to the main hall and were met by Peter and Charles.

'Remember, no violence. We want them away from the school as quickly as possible.' Her father had been clear in that, but as he spoke, Erik's armour was flying downstairs and wrapping itself around his body. He had transformed into Magneto before their eyes. It didn't help that Peter had found a few extra milliseconds to grab his silver jacket.

'Really? Is this the time for a costume change?' Crystal couldn't understand the vanity that ran through the family at times.

'They're nearly here. Let's go.' The four of them walked out of the house in solidarity, though it wasn't the ideal family outing. 'Crystal, if you'd be so kind.' Her father gestured to the house. She focused on the conifer trees lining the drive. She focused them on wrapping themselves around the house as a protective dome. It drained her energy a little but would provide Jean more time getting all the students through the tunnels.

The helicopters landed. A small army of soldiers emerged, guns were pointed at them from every direction. Erik looked slightly at ease by the sight of all the metal, they clearly weren't expecting him to be here. 'Are you sure this will work Charles?' he muttered, trying not to move his lips too much.

'No.'

Crystal felt Peter grab her hand. She thought he was ready to run but he couldn't. He mustn't.

'Well, well, well.' Stryker stepped off the final helicopter. 'This is a pleasant surprise. I thought I'd have to rip the school apart to find these two, yet you've got them ready for me to pick up. You're too kind, professor. And adding yourself and the world's most wanted mutant as a bonus. I really don't deserve this.' The smug look on his face made Crystal want to set him ablaze.

'Colonel Stryker, we'll leave with you peacefully, but the school has been emptied. I would ask you to leave it be.' Her father spoke in such a polite manner it took Stryker by surprise, but he still had a quick retort.

'Fair enough but know that when I control you, you're going to track down every single one of them for me. Then I'll have him bring them back, and her kill the ones that are no use to me.' He nodded his head towards Peter and Crystal as he spoke. 'Crystal, it's been a long time. Don't look so shocked. I had a fail-safe to make sure I remembered you. When we met in January, I knew I'd seen you before. A helpful psychic was able to help jog my memory and pull the missing pieces together. We're going to have so much fun.' He grabbed her face and pulled it close to his, separating her from Peter. His touch revolted her. 'Don't worry. I won't let you get away again.' Then, as if she was nothing, just to show his authority, he licked down the side of her face and laughed.

The four of them continued to hold their ground, though how none of them reacted to his action bewildered Stryker. What he couldn't see was Charles mentally holding Peter back from ripping him to pieces.

'Let's move out.' As this was said, Stryker stood back, and a wave hit them. Crystal felt her eyes close and then blacked out.


End file.
